Gunakeshari Prajapati who should have been busy making and selling diyo (tradition oil lamp) ahead of Tihar sits idle these days.

The 29-year old mother of two was looking forward to this year’s Tihar. She thought she could make up for the loss her business suffered after the April earthquake.

The ongoing fuel crisis caused as a result of the unofficial boarder blockade by India ruined her plans.

“I used be busy this time of the year,” Gunakeshari said. “But my business has taken a hit because of the blockade.”

She said the demand for oil lamps is negligible compared to previous years, and the people in her business in Bhaktapur are having difficulty transporting clay due to fuel shortage.

Potters in Bhaktapur the cost of transporting clay from Harisiddhi, Lalitpur, to Bhaktapur has tripled.

Krishna Prajapati, another potter in Bhaktapur, said transport operators who used to deliver clay for Rs 1,500 are now demanding Rs 5,000.

The last six months have been difficult for the people who are in pottery business. Even more so for Krishna and Gunakeshari whose homes were knocked down by the earthquake.

“After the earthquake we had no place to make the pots or dry them for four months. We were able to clear the place well enough to dry the pots only two months ago,” said Krishna.

The little hope that Krishna had of getting his business back on track was crushed after the blockade. Most potters in Bhaktapur had to cut down their production by almost 50 percent because of high transport fare. Gunakeshari, for instance, only made 7,000 diyos this year. She used to make around 15,000 diyos in the previous years.

Dip in the number of tourists visiting Bhaktapur after the earthquake has also affected their business.  “The general mood here is far from celebratory,” Gunakeshari said.