Rajbiraj, May 24

The government’s decision to build houses for Dalit families of Arnaha Rural Municipality, Saptari,  under the People’s Residence Programme has fallen flat.

Dalit families of the locality are disappointed as construction work has yet to begin though the current fiscal year is coming to an end.

Local Lalaku Sada said, “The government’s false promise has disheartened our impoverished Dalit community.”

Inar Ram of Madhupatti said though a survey was conducted in the area two months ago, construction work had not started as yet.

“It was wrong on the government’s part to give false hopes to poor people like us,” he bemoaned.

The government’s apathy in constructing the residences has let down Dalit families of around 50 Village Development Committees across the district.

Around 1,000 houses were to be built for Dalit and needy people within the current fiscal in the district under the People’s Residence Programme.

Stakeholders said the delay in commencing construction had left the project in a state of uncertainty.

Dalit Network Saptari Chairman Yuktilal Sarkar said the local administration had delayed the project under various pretexts, confining the plan to paper.

Urban Development Division Office Rajbiraj Chief Milan Sharma said the agreement to construct houses in many Village Development Committees at once and the survey work had delayed construction.

He said the People’s Residence District Coordination Committee, formed to look after such issues, had failed to organise meetings to give the go-ahead to construction work.

The committee coordinator and lawmaker Sakaldev Sutihar said a meeting would be held soon to decide on the issue of construction.