Nepal's historic jute mill faces eviction crisis as residents protest government plans

Biratnagar. The Biratnagar Jute Mill, considered the birthplace of Nepal's industrial history, has once again come into focus. The area has become agitated after the government prepared to remove the families of former workers residing on approximately 10 bighas of the Jute Mill's land.

As news spread that the Jute Mill administration was preparing to remove them, fear and anger have gripped the Hadtali Haat area.

The children of workers who shed blood and sweat in the Jute Mill since their grandfathers' time are now left with the question, 'Where will we go?' They are also in a mood for protest. Some also wish for their own management and rehabilitation.

Within the story of the settlement spread across a large part of the mill's 69 bighas of land and the dilapidated industry, there are many issues.

The atmosphere in the slum settlement of the Hadtali Haat area appears heavy. Local residents Mohammad Ansari and Imam Ansari have the fear of uncertainty in their eyes.

They say, 'Our fathers and grandfathers worked in this mill. The mill itself gave us land to live on so that work would be easier. Now, when we are suddenly told to leave, where will we go? We have nothing but this place. We cannot be removed without proper management.'

The situation of Mina Shrestha and Dhanavati Chaudhary from the same place is similar. Their sleep has been disturbed since hearing the news that the government is preparing to vacate the settlement. Mina Shrestha says with a mix of anger and sadness, 'We have lived here for generations. How just is it to ask us to vacate now? First, restart the jute mill, give us employment. We are ready to pay the price for this land, but do not make us homeless.'

Local Mustam Ali claims that this settlement has provided security to the Jute Mill. 'If we were not here, many machines of the Jute Mill would have been stolen,' Ali said. 'We have protected the Jute Mill. We have invested generations here. If force is used against us, we are ready to die, but we will not leave this place.'

Sunil Paswan, 34, shares a similar plight. His grandfather, Natun Paswan, came here from India at the age of 22 to work. The Jute Mill itself provided him with a hut. 'After my grandfather, my father also worked here. Now both are gone, but our family is still here. This is our history. How can we leave so easily?'

According to Taranaath Timsina, a former employee who worked for 44 years at the Biratnagar Jute Mill, not only financial constraints but also mismanagement were equally responsible for the industry's downfall. Timsina started his job in 2035 BS with a monthly salary of 275 rupees.

'This mill, which has been operating since 1993 BS, once employed more than 5,000 workers and employees. From 2035 BS to 2065 BS, the condition of the mill was very good. It had its own hospital, staff quarters, and a large community lived within it,' he said.

However, by around 2064/065 BS, the mill began to face a crisis. According to Timsina, due to financial constraints, the mill incurred losses, payments were stopped, production decreased, and eventually, the mill closed down. After that, the workers' plight began.'

According to him, the 69 bighas of land of the Jute Mill still remain. Hundreds of families are still living in the huts built by the Jute Mill for the workers who worked at that time, Timsina says.

'The huts built by the Jute Mill might have been removed and something new built, but the people living there are the families of former workers,' he said.

It is known that the Jute Mill used to charge a small rent from the workers for accommodation. Currently, no one is paying rent, according to knowledgeable sources.

According to Manoj Khadka, an employee there, the settlement currently seen on the Jute Mill's land developed due to the industry's needs. 'Initially, people couldn't get work, so people were brought from India and the hills. To accommodate them, the mill opened its own brick kiln and constructed quarters,' Khadka said.

According to Khadka, initially, there was an agreement to collect a rent of 10, 20, or 50 rupees per month from the workers, deducted from their salaries. Later, after the industry closed down and management became lax, outsiders also started building huts on the vacant land.

'Some honest people left after settling accounts, but there are also examples of some who sold their place of residence to third parties and left,' Khadka said. 'Currently, there are about 500 to 600 families living in the Hadtali Haat, Harinagar, and South Gate areas. Some have even built new concrete houses by demolishing old structures.'

Saroj Koirala, Assistant Chief District Officer of Morang, said that discussions have been held regarding vacating the settlement on the Jute Mill's land. 'We are in the process of identifying who among them are genuine landless squatters or have houses only there, and who has houses elsewhere,' Koirala said. 'After this is identified, alternative arrangements will be made for those without houses and land, and others will be removed.'

The dire state of the Jute Mill

The pictures inside the Jute Mill tell a horrific and tragic story. Entering the door of the mechanical building, it feels like this is not an industry, but a bulldozed area. Cobwebs cover the machines, iron parts are corroded by rust, and water drips from the ceiling, flooding the floor.

The boards still visible in the mill read, 'Let's increase production, save the mill, reduce wastage, prevent loss.'

But today, those slogans mock themselves. The gears of the machines are jammed, and many important parts have disappeared due to years of mismanagement and theft. No one remembers when the thread wastage board in the mill was last updated.

On one hand, the government is planning to restart this historic industry or develop an industrial area here, which necessitates clearing the land. On the other hand, there is the issue of the rights of the families of workers who have lived amidst the dust and smoke here for generations.

The tendency of the chairpersons of the mill's board of directors to change frequently while the problems remain unresolved has created extreme distrust among the residents here. 'A camp of the Armed Police Force has been set up to protect the Jute Mill's land, but the industry itself has been hollowed out from within,' said a local.

The future of the 69 bighas of land of the Biratnagar Jute Mill and the hundreds of families dependent on it is currently awaiting a decision from the government – will the government value the contribution of these workers and provide them with proper management, or will it push them onto the streets in the name of development?

The ruins of the Biratnagar Jute Mill are asking this very question today.

Industrial development is not just about machines running; it is also about securing the lives of the hands that operate those machines. The demand of the workers there is that if the Biratnagar Jute Mill is to be revived, the respect and management of its workers must be prioritized first.

Where the strike began...

In Hadtali Haat, in the mill area of Biratnagar-16, there is a dense settlement of workers. A market is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Hadtali Haat, located east of the Biratnagar Jute Mill gate, but it used to be centered around the Chautara at the foot of Bargachhi. It has now moved to the road south of there.

Kabita Magar, 65, who has been living in the same place for 40 years, remembers the past glory of that place. The cleanliness was the same, the movement of people and the crowds were the same. The market and shops were always crowded. 'There used to be a fair here. Those working in the Jute Mill would go to their homes from here to work. After work, everyone would return to their homes. Back then, even if you left your house door tied with a rope, it wouldn't be stolen.'

Now, it's at a point where houses are broken into, Magar says. When the mill was running, the area around the Chautara had a unique charm. It was such a beautiful place. Now it is filled with garbage, mud, and stench.

All the workers are in a weak financial condition. The only old structure in that area is a banyan tree, and there are small huts. There is a mosque nearby. There is also a temple, but the greenery of that place has vanished.

At that time, the workers working in the Jute Mill were provided with quarters. Even now, there are hundreds of houses on the Jute Mill's land. Around 60-70 families live in the vicinity of that Haat. Many of the old workers have passed away. Some have left the place.

'When Girija Babu worked at the Jute Mill, he and others went on strike, and the name of this place became Hadtali Haat,' said Kabita, recounting what she heard about the movement that started in 2003 BS.

At that time, leaders of the Congress party had started the strike, in which Communist leader Manmohan Adhikari also participated. When Manmohan became Prime Minister, he built a concrete Chautara around the banyan tree in memory of Madan Bhandari. Earlier, it was a wooden Chautara. The newly built Chautara has also become dilapidated and is starting to crumble.

'The banyan tree was Girija Babu's, the Chautara was built by Manmohan. Now, whose name to put, so the Chautara has no name,' said Manju Gurung, 63, from the same place, laughing.

The movement that started from the Jute Mill laid the foundation for democracy in the country. But now, after the closure of the Jute Mill, more than half of the workers here are forced to work in India. Earlier, speeches were made about increasing workers' welfare, social security, and bringing democracy, but nowadays, in almost every election, leaders stand on that same Chautara and give speeches. No one fails to mention restarting the Jute Mill in their speeches. There seems to be no possibility of the Jute Mill restarting.

Now, there is talk of bulldozers running over the workers' settlement. Again, the workers are preparing to protest against the government from the same Hadtali Haat. 'The movement for democracy started from here. If an attempt is made to remove us without proper management, another movement will start from here,' said Sunil Paswan from the same place.