DADELDHURA: Rehabilitation of freed haliya folks of Dadeldhura has begun six years after the government declared them free.

According to Tularam Sarki, member of Freed Haliya Rehabilitation Committee and chairperson of Freed Haliya Society, Dadeldhura, the process had started recently.

“Out of 2,576 haliya families in the district, the government has planned to rehabilitate 63 families this year,” said Tularam, adding, “The government will buy land for those who don’t have house, build house for those who have only land and repair the houses of those who already have one.”

As per the government plan, as many as 28 families are likely to get new houses, 20 families to get their houses repaired whereas 15 families will be provided land, said Tularam.

The committee has allocated Rs 150,000 per family for the land purchase, Rs 100,000 for house repair, and Rs 250,000 for the construction of a house for each of the families.

Out of total 2,576 verified haliya families in Dadeldhura, only 1,442 have received the haliya identity card so far. They have been further categorised into different classes on the basis of their vulnerability. The ones with houses have been put in the first category, whereas those with land but no houses in the second category.

Families whose houses are in need of repair have been kept in the third category whereas families who have land and house, but don’t have income sources are in the fourth category.

As per the haliya rehabilitation plan, the government has been mulling the rehabilitation of around 300 families in 12 districts of the far and mid-west regions within this fiscal.

Some of the freed haliyas in Dadeldhura are yet to get identity cards, years after they were declared free. Haruwa Sarki, of Amargadi municipality, said he had not received the identity card so far.

“Years have passed by, but I don’t have my name in the list of freed haliyas. I don’t even have a place to live,” he lamented, expressing his concern about their rehabilitation.