DHANGADI, JULY 18

Over two decades after kamaiyas were declared free, their rehabilitation has yet to be completed. Exactly 22 years ago on July 18, the government had declared kamaiyas free.

As per official data, some 953 freed kamaiya families are yet to be rehabilitated in Kailali. Of the 8,975 kamaiya families entitled to land, 8,022 families have received land. While 380 families haven't got land, 400 others are waiting to get land in a different location. Another 173 families had got kamaiya identity cards, but they got them scrapped.

The waiting-to-be-rehabilitated families live in Milanpur, Basanta Tole, Radhakrishna Basti of Dhangadi and Ekatanagar of Lamkichuha. Similarly, freed kamaiyas are also residing in Tikapur Municipality, Kailari Rural Municipality and Gauriganga Municipality. They are said to be living in forest land and river banks.

Raj Kumari Chaudhary of Radhakrishna settlement in Dhangadi lamented that they haven't got freed kamaiya identity card 22 years after their liberation.

'Our situation is no different from the past, as we are not rehabilitated yet,' she said, adding they have been eking out their survival by working as wage labourers.

Freed Kamaiya Society central Chairperson Pashupati Chaudhary said most of the freed kamaiyas living in areas other than in town areas are living in pathetic condition.

Further, Chaudhary informed that a total of 27,571 freed kamaiya families were there in five districts, including Kailali, Kanchanpur and Bardiya. Of them, 25,195 families have got land thus far.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.