BETTIAH, Sept. 15 -- After the recent strife in Nepal, businessmen from Bihar have started returning to their establishments across the border. Hindustan Times spoke to several Nepal-based vendors from Bihar who expressed relief after days of Gen Z-led protests that damaged government installations, private properties of political leaders, and left vendors and daily-wage earners grappling with economic shocks. Many were stranded in different parts of Nepal, including Kathmandu. Baliram Kumar, 45, a resident of Inglish Chowk in East Champaran, has been living in Kathmandu for over three decades. "I had come to my native place for personal reasons and was on my way back to Kathmandu with my wife when we got stuck in Birganj. We had to return home, only to learn about the agitation that had engulfed Kathmandu and other places," he said, thanking his stars. "Fortunately, like many other small vendors and retailers, my shop is intact." For Bihari Thakur, a fruit and vegetable seller from Majhariya Kisun village in West Champaran, the agitation proved disastrous. "Apart from halting our earnings, the protests caused huge losses. A good portion of our stock-perishable fruits and vegetables like guava, bananas, tomatoes, and brinjal-went to waste. Vendors like me, both locals and Biharis, are reeling under economic shocks," he said from his shop in Kathmandu's Kapan area. Some vendors tried to cut their losses by selling produce at throwaway prices. "Bananas were sold at Rs.30 a dozen against a cost price of Rs.100, while other items were disposed of far below cost," another Bihar-born retailer said. With curfew now limited to nighttime and supply chains improving, food prices have largely stabilised. "Except for a Rs.5 per kg rise in ladyfinger, other fruits and vegetables are steady," said Jata Shankar Thakur, a vegetable seller in Kathmandu who hails from Pathkhauli in Nautan block of West Champaran. Still, vendors rued the heavy financial blow. "The only silver lining is that common people's shops, carts, and establishments were spared by attackers," said Thakur. HT also attempted to contact political leaders in Nepal's Parsa district, whose private properties were targeted, but they declined to speak. "They prefer to keep their distance from the media right now," a person close to them said. On the Indian side, commercial movement has resumed. "Trucks, cargo, containers, and other vehicles have been entering Nepal through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) since Saturday," said Rajeev Rajan, ICP manager at Raxaul....