Dhangadi, January 4

Suraj Kumar Chaudhary of Ratanpur VDC, Hausalpur, Kailali, does not speak any Nepali. What is more amazing, he doesn’t even know that he is a Nepali national.

Chaudhary, an eighth grader at Rajkiya School in Belaparaswa of Lakhimpurkhiri, India, said none of his family members speak Nepali. Hausalpur is at a distance of 45 kilometres from district headquarters Dhangadi.

All the residents of Hausalpur beyond Mohana River in Kailali have been deprived of state facilities, and go to India across the border for services such as education and health. “The government of Nepal has been discriminating against citizens living beyond the river.

The state has deprived us of citizenship certificate. We also don’t have land ownership certificate to safeguard the country’s land along the border,” said Gita Chaudhary, a local. According to Gita, locals go to Belaparasawa, India, for every minor transaction.

“Until a bridge over the river is constructed, the problem will remain unsolved,” said Gita.

Another local Neetu Chaudhary advised the administration to open a school in the area. She had pleaded with Chief District Officer Govinda Rijal to enable them to read and write Nepali when she met him in the locality a few days ago.

Without state protection of any kind, criminal activities occur with impunity in the area. “Robbery, loot, and rape incidents take place frequently in broad daylight in our locality for want of necessary security,” said Neetu.

Scores of children in the locality have been deprived of immunisation. “I have heard that Ratanpur VDC is going to be declared fully immunised very soon, but children of the this VDC have been deprived of the facility,” said Daya Shankar Chaudhary, a local.

Chief District Officer Rijal said that he was worried about locals of the area. “I am committed to ensure education, health, and security for the people of the area,” pledged CDO Rijal.

Meanwhile, Kailali Police Chief SP Arjun Chand said he would intensify patrolling for the security of the people.