The Background:
 More than 11 years have elapsed since 1996 when the ethnic conflict between the Bodos and Adivasi in Kokrajhar and Chirang district of Bodoland Territorial Council, Assam forced hundreds of Adivasi families to be uprooted from their homes. They are still languishing in the displaced camps in most un-imaginable living conditions. And now they are being tried to be uprooted from these camps even! Status of Government Rehabilitation:
Successive state authorities have failed to rehabilitate the victims properly. Presently, what the state machinery is offering them in the name of rehabilitation package is a sum of Rs 10,000.00 and once the victims receives this payment; they are forced out from the camps. Now, even if these displaced victims wishes to accept what is being granted by the state machinery (i.e. the sum of Rs 10,000.00), they can not receive it as for receiving it he/she needs to produce the residency documents. How can a person who had to run for lives could ever carry such documents when they were uprooted in during the ethnic violence? If this criteria of granting rehabilitation package is the only basis then this family victims would be in the camps for years together as they will not be able to produce these certificates. How is the living conditions in the relief camps?
 Presently the inmates of the camps are given 10 kgs of ration per month for a family. No Public Distribution System or Anganwadi centers exists nearby. According to Public Distribution system of Govt. of India every poor household should get monthly ration of 35 kgs. But non-existence of PDS centers have deprived these people from their legitimate rights. According to Indian Supreme Court Interim orders every habitation should have ICDS centers . Such orders by the highest court of the country have not been complied by the state even in this worst and deprived condition of human lives in the displaced camps. Apart from these neglect and deprivations there is no proper health and educational facilities. The rate of school drop out is increasing everyday. There is a report of child trafficking where even the newly borne child once has been brought back only to be kept near the camps. Diseases right from malaria is all rampant as surveyed by MSF (Medicine Sans Frontiers an international NGO). The inmates of the displaced camps are ready to work any petty jobs in order to survive themselves. As a result of such labor availability the local residents are engaging them even to the extent of exploiting the minimum wages. Worst is being evicted from hell even!
 Worst of the worst despite not being rehabilitated in other areas the inmates of the camps are being regularly notified for eviction as they are considered encroachers of the forest zone by the officials of the forest department of the state. In number of occasion they are forced to eviction drive but as a result of no alternative land of their own nor allotted land by the government they continue to stayed back in the camps. The questions before us:
The moot point is where they would go from the camps? Is the government ready to bear the cost in rehabilitating them by providing them one time economic package instead of spending meager amount in every single year. Every year expenditures will not help them to improve their living conditions. For us, to give them special economic benefits in one go or installment basis would help them in many ways - may be to purchase land elsewhere. The plight of them:
As a result of deep rooted poverty and all pervasive illiteracy among the community, they cannot think of their constitutional rights as to be enjoyed by every citizens of the country. Nor they could perceive such rights and entitlement. Every single day is a absolute struggle for them. Even though they know when there are in struggle they could beg something from the government authorities but they are not empowered to protest their due entitlement. They have no money to bear the travel cost that they need to approach the state functionaries again and again in order to convince the officials and authorities. We have not heard even the community leaders of the area of being vocal about their well being. That is why this PIL
Knowing their deprived of constitutional rights of the country the ant and Lawyers For Rights have taken initiative to file PIL in the Guwahati High Court for their relief and rehabilitation so that it creates ripples to the government for early solution along with other social and political pressure. We are hoping good orders from this first Public litigation by Lawyers for Rights. The hearing is likely to come up by the 18th of this month. It is one of the major initiative of Lawyers for Rights soon after its formation. For your any further query, we would be happy to answer. You can contact us at emaillfr@gmail.com. We would also be happy if you post your comments on this topic below. |
