Kumbha BK of Birsain settlement in Budhinanda Municipality-5 has never owned a piece of land. All his life has been a struggle because he has never had a house to call his own, he says.

But times have taken a good turn for Kumbha and for other freed Haliyas (bonded tillers) like him because the central government has recently made provisions to provide them with permanent houses.

“I have always worked as a bonded agriculture labourer in my landlord’s house,” said Kumbha. “There’s a new ray of hope for us, now that they the government, after many years of negligence, is doing some good for us Haliyas.”

With the rehabilitation grants provided by the government under the Haliya rehabilitation programme, many Haliyas have constructed houses in various parts of the district.

Under the programme, each family received Rs 200,000 to buy land, another Rs 325,000 to build homes and Rs 125,000 to carry out maintenance works. The sum is being distributed to Haliyas in two installments. The rehabilitation programme has been conducted in Himlai, Swamikartik and Jagannath Rural Municipalities and Budhinanda and Budhiganga Municipalities.

There are 1,633 freed Haiya families living in Bajura alone. Of them, 757 were rehabilitated last year. According to Laxmi Pandey, chief at the District Land Revenue Office, 47 Haliya families received money to purchase land plots, 36 received money to construct houses and 676 received money to repair damaged houses in the last fiscal year. In the running fiscal year, 95 Haliya families have received rehabilitation grant to purchase land plots, 234 have received money to construct houses and 531 have received money to carry out maintenance works, said Pandey.

Rela Chandara, wife of freed Haliya Gorakh Chandara, said that her family is now finally relieved—after they finally completed construction of their house. “We faced a lot of difficulties living under a shelter in somebody else’s land for a long time,” said Rela.

The government had ended the Haliya practice through an announcement in 2008. Bajura is one among the 12th district where the Haliya rehabilitation programme is being conducted, said Lal Bir Sarki, chairman of freed Haliya Society in Bajura.