Endangered Bankariya tribe seeks permanent base
It’s been 15 years since the endangered Bankariya tribe moved to a forest area in Manahari Rural Municipality in Makawanpur district.
The government had granted this traditionally nomadic tribe the permission to live there for 20 years. It had also promised to build them concrete houses if they left their nomadic lifestyle and settled at a place.
The Bankariya people accepted the government’s offer and they set up their community at Musedhap, which was part of a leasehold forest at the time. But the government’s promise of concrete houses never came to pass. The 20-year tenure to live on the land is due to expire in five years, and the community still has no permanent homes.
“Over the years, we have made several requests to the government and its agencies to allow us to settle here permanently and provide us land title documents. In return, we have received assurances,” says Kanchhimaya Bankariya, one of the community members.
Without land titles, the Bankariya families have also been deprived of the house building grant announced as part of the People’s Housing Program.
Dhruba Khadka, a local government official, says the budget allocated to fund the Bankariya housing project could not be distributed for two consecutive years as the beneficiary families did not have land documents.
“Without the land titles, we cannot build homes or apply for loans,” says Shyam Bankariya, who dreams of living in a concrete house and starting his own business.
The community’s trouble has only exacerbated after the Parsa National Park authority annexed the forest area where they are living. Manoj Shah, the park’s warden, says they will be bound by the law to vacate the occupied area once the tenure expires. “They will have to relocate unless the council of ministers decides otherwise,” he says.
Meanwhile, Bishnu Dahal of National Land Commission says that the agency is working to address the concerns of the Bankariya community. “We are preparing to distribute them land titles as per their demand. As for the issue over the national park, it can be settled through talks and coordination among the agencies concerned.”
Janga Bahadur Gurung of Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities says there are only 87 Bankariya people in the country, making them one of the most endangered ethnic groups.
“The government should protect the Bankariyas by providing them permanent homes,” he says. “Failing to do so means risking the extinction of this endangered group and its culture.”
Province 3: Learning the ropes of federalism
Hetauda : Even though the Province 3 government has been in place for over a year, the permanent provincial capital is as yet unsettled. The provincial parliament has held endless debates on this, but to no avail.
The special committee set up to study the feasibility of a permanent capital had submitted its report to the provincial speaker on July 10, 2018. After a long delay, the report was formally tabled in the provincial parliament on Oct 8, 2018. The parliament had committed to settle the issue by the end of its yearly session on Dec 25. That could not be done either. The winter session of the provincial parliament is yet to start.
The province chief minister summons the provincial assembly after a decision to the effect by the provincial cabinet. But the provincial government is not in favor of immediately convening the parliament. “Most likely, the parliament will be summoned only after mid-February,” says Province 3 Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Salikram Jamarkattel. “We will raise the issue of the provincial capital in the inaugural meeting.”
Chief Minister Dormani Poudel has of late been mum on the issue. Those close to him say the chief minister is in favor of tiring out those in favor of moving the capital from (the temporary capital of ) Hetauda. Poudel has been lobbying with federal-level leaders not to move the capital. But some cabinet members like Jamarkattel are lobbying to shift the capital to Kavre district. “We will obey our party [Nepal Communist Party]. That said, we believe Hetauda as the capital has certain disadvantages,” he says. “Since this falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial parliament, we want the parliament to quickly settle the issue.”
The main opposition NC is numerically weak in Province 3, and so the primary reason for the dispute are internal disagreements within the ruling NCP. “The issue is as yet unresolved mostly because of our internal disagreements,” says NCP provincial MP and chairman of the capital feasibility study committee Dipak Niraula. “It is unlikely to be resolved unless the prime minister intervenes.”
Also Read:
Province 1: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 2: Learning the ropes of federalism
Gandaki: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 5: Learning the ropes of federalism
