Low sales, traders suffer losses in Sunauli on India-Nepal border

Businesses in the Sunauli area on the India-Nepal border have been hit by the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Businesses in the Sunauli area on the India-Nepal border have been hit by the COVID-19-induced lockdown. Shopkeepers and traders said their businesses have been adversely affected. Speaking to ANI, Rishav Gupta, a shop owner said, "Our business is closed since the day the lockdown started. The border is closed and people's entry is not allowed. Before the lockdown, customers from Nepal and other foreign tourists used to visit our shops and so the sales were good. But these days it has been closed and many people have lost their jobs."

"The rent here is very high. It is difficult but we have to pay the rent. It is also getting difficult to pay our staff," he said. Ankit Gupta, a cosmetics and grocery shop owner said, "The market has been closed since the lockdown. Our earlier sales were Rs 20,000-30,000 but now almost nothing is sold. We also have to pay our staff. Customers from Nepal are not coming and we are facing loss. Our products are also getting expired."

Prashant Jaiswal, a utensil shop owner said, "These products were earlier purchased by people from Nepal. But no one has been coming for the past six months. We are facing massive loss." Kishor Joshi a Nepali trader said, "The most affected is the tourism sector. The hotels are also facing huge losses. There is loss of business on both sides." (ANI)