People hit-hard by lockdown picket Pokhara metropolis; demand relief packages

Province 4, Kaski, Pokhara Lekhnath, Ward 9 - #Governance, POKHARA: A new mother of a four-month-old baby, Sunita, 24, along with the infant and other people reeling under the coronavirus-lockdown, have been seen demanding relief packages at the Metropolitan City Office, for days now. “My husband lost his work since the lockdown started. We are struggling everyday to make ends meet” Sunita shared. “I have not received any relief items from the local level so far.” “A local mother’s group humiliated me when I went to collect relief items from them, allocated by the local level for ward-9, she said, adding, “Now is the time when I need nutritious food the most but we do not have anything left to eat.” Similarly, Kamala BK, 37, single mother of two; Buddhi Bahadur Bk, 52, a person with disability; Laxmi Bk, 36, single mother of three; with similar stories of everyday struggle, picketed the metropolis office demanding relief. Buddhi Bahadur BK said, “My wife, a fruit seller, was managing all the household expenses before the lockdown. With the extension of lockdown, relief items provided by the local level did not last long,” he said, adding that the government should either provide enough relief items or let people like his wife operate their source of livelihoods. Meanwhile, Man Bahadur GC, mayor of the city, said that he was aware of the situation in ward-9. “The metropolitan is taking the crisis faced by the people seriously. We will very soon distribute relief items.” Ward Chair Ram Raj Lamichhane claimed that 688 households had received the packages in the first phase of distribution. “In coordination with other organisations, we will provide relief items to the remaining families,” Lamichanne stated. The metropolis has claimed to have distributed relief items to more than 30,000 people in the area.