NATIONAL 4 - (Spotlight Weekly)

‘The Govt Aims To Rehabilitate Kamaiyas Before The Onset Of Monsoon’

— MOHAMMED AFTAB ALAM

Minister of State for Land Reform MOHAMMED AFTAB ALAM is known as a man of action. Elected to the House of Representatives from Rautahat district, Alam affirms that he will sort out the problem of kamaiyas very soon. Alam spoke to KESHAB POUDEL in his office on the activities taken by his ministry on rehabilitating kamaiyas. Excerpts:

Even after the government announced the emancipation of kamaiyas, it is said the practices continue to exist in a limited scale. Is this true?

This is only a rumor created by some people who want to extract resources in the name of bonded laborers and kamaiyas. The kamaiya system has now been completely abolished in the region.

How do you see the problems of kamaiyas?

Definitely, everything is not right. The Ministry of Land Reform also realizes the need to provide immediate relief to kamaiyas, who are in a very difficult situation. As Minister of State of Land Reform, I have already issued guidelines to the officials to make immediate arrangements for the welfare of kamaiyas.

The government is being accused of doing nothing for kamaiyas after they were emancipated five months ago. How do you respond to this accusation?

I agree that we were not able to handle the issue properly in the first few months. The number of kamaiyas is so large that the government was unable to provide necessary support to them. In the first phase, we concentrated our efforts on freeing kamaiyas.

The constitution has already banned slavery in all forms. How can you describe your decision to free kamaiyas as emancipation?

Whatever the constitution says about slavery, the nature of the kamaiya system shows that it was also a by-product of slavery. This is the reason the government declared the emancipation of kamaiyas.

What follow-up steps are you taking?

I have already asked ministry officials to start the rehabilitation of the kamaiyas, which number about 15,000 families. We now have a plan and program to rehabilitate them. With support from the international agencies like DFID, GTZ and UN organizations, the government has been launching programs to provide food and temporary shelter for kamaiyas.

How long would it take to fully rehabilitate kamaiyas?

We want to rehabilitate them soon in various areas in the three districts of Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur. Within the next two months, all kamaiyas will have their own land and shelter. The government wants to rehabilitate kamaiyas before the onset of the monsoon.

Because of the inability of the government to provide shelter, many kamaiyas are forced to live in a situation worse than that they were previously in. How can you guarantee that their fate would be better after rehabilitation?

The government has already decided to provide five kathas (half acre) of land to each member of the family for permanent shelter. Along with the land, the government is also planning to start the vocational training programs for them.

Who bears responsibility for the current plight of kamaiyas?

I have already told you, there might have some been mistakes in the early stages of rehabilitation. We were unable to perform our task to the desired extent because we were inexperienced.

But some local NGOs are accusing the government of slackness in coping with the kamaiya issue. How do respond?

In the name of non-government activities, some organizations have been playing in the hands of particular political parties. We don’t want to play politics in such human issue. We also have reports that some NGOs have misused funds receive to help kamaiyas.

What is the situation now?

The ministry has opened a branch office in Nepalgunj to coordinate the rehabilitation programs going on in the Kailali, Kanchanpur and Bardiya districts.

The relations between kamaiyas and local landowners are so bad that the landowners have started to hire laborers from across the border. What is the government doing?

After distribution of the land, the status of the former kamaiyas will change from a landless group to a people with some land. I don’t think it would be viable for landowners to continue hiring foreign workers. This is only a temporary phenomenon.

What challenges is the government facing in rehabilitating the former kamaiyas?

There are many challenges in front of the government while working to bring kamaiyas into the social mainstream. One of the urgent tasks is to inject self-confidence among former kamaiyas. To this end, the government has prepared a plan to provide vocational training for kamaiyas. We are also considering a proposal to extend interest-free loans to kamaiya families to ensure their rehabilitation.

How have you acquired land for distribution to kamaiyas?

We have already selected plots in Kanchanpur and Kailali districts. After demarcation, we will hand over the land to former kamaiyas along with legal right of possession.