Dadeldhura, August 31

As many as 15 Haliya families at Ganyapdhura Rural Municipality-1 have yet to be rehabilitated in Dadeldhura.

National Haliya Freedom Society Federation and the government had identified people living in Bheta village as haliyas 10 years ago. A local haliya leader Bir Bahadur Damai said they were yet to receive identity cards for haliyas. “We are deprived of state facilities due to lack of identity cards,” he added. He said no one had approached them after collecting their statistics 10 years ago.

Damai said 15 haliya families of Bheta village have been waiting for government facilities for the past 10 years.

Another haliya Khima Damai said the government had provided Rs 3.25 lakh to other haliyas in her neighbourhood to construct houses. “But we have been deprived of such facilities due to lack of identity cards,” she added. She said they expected employment along with cash to construct their houses. She said women of her locality were compelled to send their sons and husbands to India for employment.

Khima said almost all males from every household had to go to India for employment.

Laxmi Damai, another haliya, said the neighbouring haliya family, who had received state facility, were well-off. “The real haliyas, who did not have link with authorities, had been deprived of state facilities while fake haliyas got state facilities,” she added. Laxmi complained that haliya families in her neighbourhood, who received the state facility, have at least two ropani land each, while they had no land in their possession.