By DEEPIKA PASHAM
Copyright deccanchronicle
Hyderabad:Private operators are cashing in on the plight of Nepali citizens in Hyderabad who are desperate to return home amid escalating corruption protests in Nepal. Migrant workers are being charged nearly Rs 4,000 per seat in buses to the Rupaidiha border in Uttar Pradesh — more than double the usual train cost of Rs 1,800–Rs 2,000.A 60-seater bus was scheduled to depart from Medchal on Monday, with halts including Banjara Hills. Migrants said they had waited for over a month to make the journey and could no longer delay, as unrest in their homeland deepens.Bahadur, a watchman in Hyderabad for the past five years, told Deccan Chronicle, “This is the time my family needs me the most. I have my aged parents, wife, children and grandchildren in Nepal. I migrated here to earn for them, but now I must return.”Rajan, a daily wage labourer, added: “We earn Rs 10,000–15,000 a month and usually set aside a month’s savings for our travel. It takes two days to reach Rupaidiha, and from there we arrange other transport to reach our villages.”Workers said they prefer road journeys over trains as they often travel with heavy luggage. Jagari, employed in a Medchal hostel, explained that while the bus fare is around Rs 4,000 (excluding food), the overall cost of reaching home ranges from Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 — nearly equivalent to a month’s salary.
