Freed Kamaiya and Kamalari communities in the western Tarai have demanded immediate government action, stating that the process of their rehabilitation has not progressed effectively.
During an awareness assembly held on May 2, in Jhalari, Shuklaphanta Municipality–10 of Kanchanpur, leaders of the freed Kamaiya community submitted a memorandum to Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Forest and Environment, Gita Chaudhary, stating that they have been forced to live difficult lives as the rehabilitation process has remained stalled since 2018.
Pashupati Chaudhary, Central Chairperson of the Freed Kamaiya Society, stated that proper rehabilitation of all freed Kamaiyas would not be possible unless an empowered Freed Kamaiya Commission is formed. He noted that in Kailali alone, there are around 130 freed Kamaiya settlements, including Milanpur, Sapananagar, Omnagar, Hirapur, Kegau Camp, Surminala in Kailari Rural Municipality, as well as Shivanagar, Shaktinagar, Bijaynagar in Tikapur, and Ektanagar in Lamki. Despite 19 years since settlement began in these areas, no permanent solution has been achieved, he said, adding that tensions have also been created among Kamaiya communities in the Omnagar area.
According to the directive of the National Land Commission, settlements where people have been residing for more than 10 years can be surveyed and mapped. Accordingly, the measurement and mapping of these settlements were completed in 2022 , but it is unfortunate that the rehabilitation process has not moved forward since then, Chairperson Chaudhary stated.
According to the Society, in Kailali, a total of 9,763 freed Kamaiyas have received identity cards, including 3,758 under the red category, 5,217 under blue, 189 under yellow, and 598 under white.
Similarly, out of 8,975 families entitled to land, only 8,022 families have received land. Around 400 families are awaiting land compensation, 173 families have had their identity cards canceled, 380 families are still landless, and 1,500 families are yet to receive identity cards. So far, 953 families are still awaiting rehabilitation.
Central member of the Society, Chandra Prasad Chaudhary, stated that it is unfortunate that even after nearly 25 years since the abolition of the Kamaiya system, rehabilitation remains incomplete. He noted that after the government declared the liberation of Kamaiyas on August 1, 2000, the Kamaiya Labour Act, 2002, and rehabilitation-related regulations were formulated. However, due to weak implementation of these legal provisions, most freed Kamaiya families are still deprived of basic rights such as permanent housing, education, health, and employment.
Freed Kamaiya leader Bhagiram Chaudhary alleged that although the federal government had sent rehabilitation programs along with budgets to local levels in the fiscal year 2018/19 for Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur, they were not implemented. He stated that repeated agreements and commitments made by the government have not been implemented in practice, further complicating the problem. The community has demanded the planned implementation of recommendations made by the study committee formed by the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, approval by the Cabinet of the rehabilitation procedure prepared based on the report coordinated by Shyam Kumar Shrestha, and the formation of an empowered task force to resolve land issues and distribute land ownership certificates.
They have also demanded that issues which can be resolved through policy decisions be immediately approved and implemented, with directives issued to provincial and local governments; that freed Kamaiyas who have identity cards be provided land ownership certificates; that arrangements be made to allow land to be used as collateral for bank loans; and that families residing on public or government land be surveyed and provided with land certificates.
Additionally, they have demanded arrangements for land exchange for those who have not received land or have been allocated unsuitable land, directives to land revenue offices to update records, and guarantees of education, health, and employment.
Central member Sita Chaudhary emphasized the need to immediately introduce an integrated law on the elimination of forced labour to address the long-term problems of freed Kamaiya and Kamalari communities. She also called for concrete initiatives to resolve issues of forced labour, financial support through cooperatives, and provision of free education. The community has urged the government to treat rehabilitation as a national priority and resolve the issue through clear policies and effective implementation.