Haliya rehabilitation moving at snail’s pace

MAHENDRANAGAR: More than half a decade since they were declared freed, the haliya community of Kanchanpur is still living a pathetic life, thanks to the sluggish rehabilitation process meant for them.

As per data of district land reform office, of the total 2,516 freed haliya families in Kanchanpur, only 1,300 families have been verified so far.

Of those verified, 194 families are grouped in the first category, 551 in the second, 35 families in the third and 555 other families in the fourth category, on the basis of their vulnerability.

As per the latest government rehabilitation plan, so far only 35 families have got land. Likewise, while 40 families have got money to build houses, 30 families have got fund for getting their houses repaired.

For the construction of houses, though the government had sent Rs 200,000 for each of the 68 families, only 40 families could avail of the fund, while 28 families could not as they did not have the mandatory land ownership certificate.

According to land reform officer Janaki Karki, 10 families each have got Rs 100,000 for house repairs this year.

“Though the government is planning to complete the rehabilitation process by the year 2030, we will surely overshoot the targeted date if the process moves in the current pace,” said Karki, who suggested that the government bring a package for haliya rehabilitation in the next fiscal.

Karki, further pointed out the need to include families that were missed out from the list of haliya families earlier.

Chief District Officer Govind Bahadur Karki saw the problem as the low annual budget allocated for rehabilitation on a yearly basis, National Freed Haliya Federation policy and legal officer Prabhunidhi Panta stressed the need for a package for rehabilitation of haliyas.