This story is from June 24, 2020

Goa: Stranded Nepal workers finally make journey home

As workers from other states left by Shramik Special trains, those from Nepal were left stranded in Goa. It is when a worker from Nepal itself, Nema Om Kar Pun, noticed the plight of his fellow nationals and decided to help that finally the way was paved for the stranded migrants to return to their country.
Goa: Stranded Nepal workers finally make journey home
30 workers from Nepal left Goa on Tuesday by bus to Gorakhpur in UP
PANAJI: As workers from other states left by Shramik Special trains, those from Nepal were left stranded in Goa. It is when a worker from Nepal itself, Nema Om Kar Pun, noticed the plight of his fellow nationals and decided to help that finally the way was paved for the stranded migrants to return to their country.
Seeing the mammoth task undertaken by a simple casino employee like Om Kar, citizen volunteers threw their weight behind him.
As part of the efforts, the sixteenth bus with one of the last batch of 30 workers from Nepal left Goa on Tuesday.
“My employer was taking care of me and has been providing food for me all along. But I noticed few poor workers from Nepal on the verge of begging after the lockdown was announced. I still had some of my salary money with me then and I decided to help them with food. Eventually, I discovered many more from my country and decided to help them make the journey home,” said Om Kar.
He then arranged a bus for the first batch to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh without the danger of infection. “From there, the workers crossed over at the border to Nepal and I got their villagers to arrange for the onward journey. The workers paid for their own fare and I would chip in wherever funds fell short. But I did the paperwork on my own like taking permissions from the different state governments,” said Om Kar.
He soon found help from citizen volunteers, who besides funding the ride for those who cannot afford it also ensured that the workers had sufficient food stocks for the three day journey from Goa to Gorakhpur.
A donor based in US Sudhir Rao and Goa-based volunteers Deepika D’Souza and Nupura Hautamaki from organisations like Goa Humanitarian Helpline and Covid-19 Goa People’s Responses, besides several others extended support to Om Kar.
“Once the first batch reached safely, I realisd I can help many more. If there are still workers from Nepal left, I will help them,” said Om Kar.
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About the Author
Gauree Malkarnekar

Gauree Malkarnekar, senior correspondent at The Times of India, Goa, maintains a hawk's eye on Goa's expansive education sector. And when she is not chasing schools, headmasters and teachers, she turns her focus to crime. Her entry into journalism was purely accidental: a trained commercial artist, she landed her first job as a graphic designer with a weekly, but less than a fortnight later set aside the brush and picked up the pen. Ever since she has not complained.

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