By Jibachh Yadav

Lahan, Mar. 11 : Members of Dom community residing within Gadha of Lahan Municipality Ward No. 26 are ecstatic over the prospect of living inside concrete homes. The Province government has prioritised building homes for the Dom community under the People’s Housing Programme.

Like many of her fellow compatriots, 70-year-old Madhu Marik, who has been living in the make-shift shelter at an Ailani Jagga (barren land or open land not registered yet in anyone’s name), is excited over the prospect of the government building houses for the ethnic minority.

“It’s good to know that people at the helm are taking note of the most remote minority groups such as ourselves.

For a long time, we have been treated inhumanely. We were forced to feed off scraps and leftovers, and wear discarded clothes of the deceased,” she added. However, times have changed, claims Marik.

With the government introducing laws to criminalise untouchability, Dom people today rub shoulders with people of different caste groups. “If earlier our children were deprived of education, they now attend schools like any other children from separate ethnicity,” explained Marik.

The People Housing Programme has been brought to Lahan thanks to the initiative of Lahan Municipality office, Province Assembly Member, Ashok Kumar Yadav, and resident social worker, Asheshwore Yadav.

While houses are being constructed at a steady speed, local Dukhani Marik is concerned over a lack of toilets. “We might soon have roof over our heads, but without toilets we might still have to defecate openly,” he said.

Although the community lauds the Provincial government’s move towards building houses for the marginalised community, several locals feel that there’s lot to be done when it comes to improving the Dom’s quality of life. For one, Punam Marik of Lahan Ward No. 26 has been deprived of the Child Nutrition allowance, despite repeated visits to the Ward Office.

“From this same place, people from other castes have been getting the allowance, but the Ward Office has been blatantly turning a blind eye to Dom community alone,” she bemoaned.

According to Province Assembly Member Yadav, a two-room concrete building is being constructed for 24 households at a cost of Rs 7.2 million.

“This is just the beginning of fulfilling the commitment I made during election to improve the living standard of the Dom community,” he added. Yadav also assured that other services would be provided for toilets, drinking water and other facilities in coordination with the municipal office.