DHADING: A Chepang settlement in Brusbang of Mahadev VDC in Dhading district is reeling under a number of hardships. So much so, the 24 households of the underprivileged community are even deprived of drinking water.

‘’We give water to our cattle only on alternate days,” said Tek Bahadur Chepang. “There is scarcity of water even for human consumption.”

Locally produced food items are not enough to feed the people all the year round. Starvation is a perennial threat in the far-flung Chepang settlement. Chepang children of the area are deprived of education since there is no school in the vicinity. Nearest primary school is a two-hour walk from the village, making it impossible for young children to get education. Locals complained that the District Education Office had not cared to establish a primary school in the area.

Meanwhile, Chepang leaders have also been demanding their resettlement in an accessible area.

“The only solution to the entire problem is to shift the Chepangs to another area,” said Siddhi Bahadur Chepang. ‘’