Nineteen labourers including two women originally from Jajarkot and Rolpa districts have been stranded in Melamchi, Sindhupalchowk after the lockdown.

They were hired from January for the road maintenance of Melamchi municipality. It is said that the workers are left hungry for almost 10 days after contractor Prakash Shrestha remained out of contact following the lockdown.

Of them, six are from Rolpa and 13 from Jajarkot district. “We were brought here offering jobs by the contractor but we are stranded now in the time of crisis as he (contractor) is out of contact,” Karna Bahadur Pun Magar of Chhehera rural municipality of Jajarkot said.

"We have problems even for the meal twice a day. We have not worked for nine days and neither have we had money for food nor to go home,” he added.

The workers bemoaned that their plight was unheard even from the police offices as they met the police officers to talk about the contractor.

Meanwhile, chairman of Melamchi-10 Bhakta Bahadur Karki said preparations were ongoing to provide relief package to the stranded labourers.