Erstwhile kamaiyas still waiting for land plots for settlement

KANCHANPUR, July 23: Though the former 'kamaiyas' or bonded labourers in the district were provided with the land ownership certificate 15 years back, they are still waiting for the land plots allotted to them.    

In each election, managing land plots to the former kamaiyas becomes a major agenda of the political parties but they are still not getting the land plots to be settled in. In lack of their proper identification of the land plots, they are compelled to work in others' farm for livelihood even after declared freed.

The former bound- labourers are still staging protest for the lands in the district even today. The resettlement of the freed bonded labouers has become tough due to averseness of concerned authority as it is a sensitive issue. 

Meanwhile, freed bonded labouers struggle committee chair Ghasiram Rana shared that they were given land ownership certificate with clear indication of plot numbers and areas of land but the lands are occupied by others.  They were failing to resettle them in the land plots as per the ownership certificate. 

Around 150 families are still unknown about their land even after having landowner certificate. Though it was the responsibility of the concerned local level to assist the freed kamaiyas in land identification and their rehabilitation based on land map and plot number, no interest was found paid in this regard, he complained. 

Former member of Constituent Assembly, Durga Devi Khuna, said that activities should be forwarded for the rehabilitation of 250 families of freed kamaiyas, who are deprived of getting land even after being enlisted in the list of eligible. 

It has been around 21 years since of declaration of abolition of Kamaiya system. Freed kamaiyas have not yet got 35 cubic feet timber said to be provided by the government to them for the construction of houses. 

They have also yet not received Rs 100,000 each said to be provided to all freed kamaiya families after government failed to provide timber.   

Out of 4,505 freed kamaiya families in the district, only 882 families have received Rs 100,000 for timber.  

With the declaration of abolition of kamaiya system in 2057 BS, the government had decided to provide land and timber to them. Timber was provided to only 1,000 families for the construction of houses. Some 2,626 families are still deprived of getting money for house construction.