The Dalit Settlement of KI Singh Rural Municipality-5, Jamalakatiya has been at high risk for years but the settlement has not been moved to a safer place.
There are three very big rocks above the hill of the settlement and they can fall at any time. The people of the settlement are living a very uncertain life under those three rocks.
Narapatey Bhul, an elderly resident of the settlement area lamented that they have been pleading with the governmental bodies but their problem has not been addressed.
He said- ‘Due to continuous rain, we have already killed our hopes for survival. Teams of government offices have monitored the area several times and we also heard that they have submitted a report on the risk that the Dalit settlement is at. However, no one has addressed this issue.’
Mohan Singh Bhul, a local leader of the Dalits grieved that they had not been relocated even after years of government monitoring.
On May 27, 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs had delegated a team consisting of the Chief of the Department of Mines and Geology, Kumar Khadka and Engineer Santosh Adhikari.
The local Dalit community alleged that the government has not responded to the report even after two years after the monitoring team submitted a report to the Disaster Management Branch of the Ministry of Home Affairs to relocate the Dalit settlement.
He further added that a memorandum was submitted to Yadav Subedi, Chief District Officer of the District Administration Office, Doti on January 19, 2020, for relocating the settlement as they were at risk.
He said- ‘A team consisting of Land and Water Resources Office, Doti Officer Ganesh Tripathi and Sub-Engineer Mohammad Ali Reza had also monitored the situation. The team also said that the Dalit settlement was at risk and informed the District Administration Office, Doti and KI Singh Rural Municipality for relocation. The report was submitted to the KI Singh Rural Municipality office. But because of the negligence of the government, our lives are at risk. ‘
Despite receiving reports that the Dalit slums are at risk, the rural municipality does not have the budget to relocate the settlement, said Lokendra Bahadur Shahi, Chairperson of KI Singh Rural Municipality.
Despite the provision of the right to housing under Article 37 of the Constitution of Nepal 072, Dalit families in Jamalkatiya are forced to live at the risk of their lives.