Rajbiraj, December 20

Locals of Saptari district are facing a hard time with the bone-chilling cold hitting locals hard.

Seventy-year-old Ratilal Marik (Dom) of Bodebarsain Municipality has no idea how he and his grand children can be protected from excessive cold. His apprehension has been compounded by the fact that he lost his son Dhirendra to the winter chill four years ago. His doleful story doesn’t end here. His wife Gola and daughter-in-law Malati also died a year later due to the same reason.  He is currently living with his five-year-old grandson Shambhu and seven-year-old granddaughter Pinki in a hut. He has only six pigs in the name of property.

Ratilal said he doesn’t have shelter, food, warm clothes and nutritious food to tide over the inclement weather. “The bone-chilling cold took three of my family members and proved to be devil for impoverished people like me,” he said.

Ghuran Marik, another local of the Dom community suffers the same plight. He said it was very difficult to protect the six members of his family from the cold. He added his family did not have warm clothes and food. “From who do we expect these necessary things? There’s no one to help the poor,” he said. Ghuran lives with his family in an unregistered land since generations.

It is learnt that people of Dom community in the rural areas of Saptari have been compelled to spend the cold season in a state of helplessness.