By Sahadev Basnet, Khalanga, Mar. 6: The Dalit community of Jajarkot Municipality-11, Kattigaun, has been displaced failing to pay their inherited debts.

People of the Dalit community were forced to leave the village as their entire lives’ income was not enough to pay the debts they inherited from their fathers and grandfathers.

Nanda Bahadur BK, ward member said, “After being unable to pay the loan, Dharma Bahadur Bar along with five other families decided to migrate to India by handing over their properties to the creditor.”

Ward Member Nanda Bahadur said that the condition of Dharma Bahadur and others was unknown.

Likewise, Goblo Luhar, another local left the village last year by giving up all of his property to the lender.  Six families that left the village settled in Kothiyaghat of Bardiya, where they have been managing their lives by farming in a barren land, informed a neighbor.

Also, Birbhan Bar’s family left the village six months ago as they couldn’t afford to payback the loan to the creditor. Bar had entered India after leaving the village.

Mage Sunar, another local of the same place, has moved out to India by transferring his property to the creditor. Four more families also moved out to India with Sunar.

These are only a few examples among others who have left the village after failing to pay the amount their fathers or grandfathers owed to the lenders.

According to ward member BK, each and every one of 120 households in Kattigaun owes Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 800,000 to their creditor.

Parbati BK, a leader of Dalit Community and executive member of Bheri Municipality, said that the Dalit community of the village was in ‘darkness under the light’.

The government could make the community independent by facilitating special programmes to make them self-reliant, she said.

“The local level government is now planning to introduce various employment-oriented programmes in order to make the Dalit community financially secure,” she added.

Currently, only Dipak BK of Kattigaun is a government job holder, who migrated to Bheri Municipality-13, Kudu, after being employed in Nepal Army in 2004 A.D.