BAJURA: The Haliya community of Bajura district on Thursday submitted a memo to Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province, Trilochan Bhatta asking the government to guarantee a source of livelihood.

Chief Minister Bhatta had reached Kolti to distribute relief items to the survivors and families of landslide and flood victims.

"Although the government has announced that the Haliya community is 'free', we have no exact source of livelihood, so we submitted the memo to the chief minister," Hikmat Wada, a campaigner belonging to Haliya community said.

The memo demanded each family of the community be provided with five bighas of land and that the government fulfil their five-point demand which they had been assured of.

The marginalised community has appealed to the government to develop programmes that would promote a source of income for them.

They asked the government to provide them with medical treatment, vocational education and higher education all free of cost.

The government of Nepal on September 6, 2008, declared 'Haliya free' past the "Haliya free movement".

Meanwhile, the Haliyas have been facing problems due to lack of employment and the pressure from creditors asking them to pay off the debts their forefathers had taken. The memo also urges the government to waive all the debts.