Veterinary Complex relief camp inmates building new lives


Chirang, Assam: Several people belonging to the Santhal or the Adivasi community were also displaced in Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon area in 1998. Some of these inmates belonging to Adivasi community are lodged at Veterinary Complex relief camp near Bengtal in Chirang district.
‘We were targeted in 1996. Our original village is on the other side of the river Aai. Part 1, Aai Dhubri is our original village. We still have land there. I pay tax for my land but I have no possession. People in this camp are from Patabari, Ouguri, Part 1, 2, 3 Aai Dhubri etc. I know who took my land. I did census duty and I worked there in my own village. It is very sad for me to see that my land is occupied by someone else. We cannot go back. I had 72 bighas of land’, shared Bhaiya Soren, an inmate of the camp.

Newly built houses of the inmates of Veterinary Complex relief camp
Inmates informed that they were displaced on November 19, 1996. They said that the first ethnic clash took place in May, 1996 though they could live in the village till November. But in November situation compelled them to move.
Since then the inmates were lodged in the relief camp. In February 2011, the inmates bought small plot of land in Bengtal area and shifted there. Land cost them rupees 65 thousand per bigha. Some could buy land for Rs 25 thousand or 34 thousand depending on the area of the land.
‘Initially we were 97 families in this camp. There was a survey in 1998 about the inmates in this camp and those who are in this list of 1998, they got compensation of rupees 50 thousand. Now there are 156 families. The increased families didn’t get compensation,’ informed the inmates.
Inmates are now busy in shifting their bases in a nearby area of Bengtal and trying to build a new life with the pittance of compensation they received.

Nangalbhanga camp of Chirang district faces soil erosion, food crisis


Chirang, Assam: Nangalbhanga camp of Chirang district, Assam, has 110 families comprising 616 persons as inmates. Inmates, mostly from the places like Shishubari, Khagrabari, Bosorbari, Paniagaon, are sharing this camp since 1993 when they were displaced during the ethnic riots in 1993 in the district, then part of Bongaigaon district.
“Our village was attacked on October 10, 1993. We left our home in one piece of cloth as we lost everything. Initially we were lodged at Amguri camp for one week and then we were taken here in Nangalbhanga camp which is also sometimes called Joypur camp’.

Inmates of Nangalbhanga camp
Inmates informed that ration was available to them for three years and then it stopped coming. ‘In 2009, we again started getting 5 kg of rice at the rate of rupees six per kg till October 2010. Due to lack of livelihood opportunities, we hardly could afford food to two times a day’ said Sirajul Haque who is the president of the relief camp committee.
Hamida Bewa, female inmate informed that it is difficult for women inmates to move around. ‘Our movement is very restricted. We can’t even visit our relatives as the place is very remote and transportation is very bad. We can’t take part in any work too. We stitch katha at home and work as domestic help to earn something for the family’.

Foundation stone of a sub-health centre near the camp was laid down in 2006 but the centre was never built
The nearest hospital is about 5 kms away. Foundation stone was laid for a sub health centre near the camp in 2006 but the health centre was never built.
In a bid to solve the issue of these internally displaced people, Assam government has given compensation amount of Rs 50,000 and about 93 families have received it. ‘This amount is not enough for us to buy land and build house. We don’t know where to move’ said an old inmate with worry writ large in his face.

Soil erosion near the Nangalbhanga village
The Nangalbhanga camp is also constantly being targeted by natural disasters like soil erosion. Inmates believe that their camp will not exist after a year as the river nearby is constantly eroding the soil.
Inmates are not excited about the upcoming Assembly election in Assam as it will not change their lives. They are demanding physical security and rehabilitation from the government.

Food scarcity at Bengtal relief camp in Chirang district


Chirang, Assam:‘We are here in this camp since 1993. It’s been 18 years now. It is comprised of 43 families. In 2003, some families joined this camp. Right now there are 23 families from Balajhar and 20 families from Salbari. Originally there were 35 families and now it increased to 43 families. There are 285 persons in the camp,’ informed Abdul Jalil, Gaonburah of Bengtal relief camp of Chirang district, Assam. The inmates were originally lodged at Bot Tola School in Dhaligon for about two months in 1993 and then shifted to this camp.

Dilapidated condition of Bengtal relief camp
The ration supplies under Public Distribution System were stopped in 1998. Some of the inmates had land in other places. In order to meet the basic needs, the inmates sold their land at a very cheap rate. ‘We didn’t want to sell our land and we asked for protection and wanted to go back to our land instead of selling. But government officials said ‘how long we can give protection? You reconcile with local people and live there with harmony’, informed inmates. This reconciliation as suggested was not possible. ‘We have fear in our mind… fear of being killed. Hence we sold our land at a very cheap rate and we have no place to go now. We were farmers but now daily wagers’, shared the inmates.
Only 11 families in the camp have BPL cards and 13 families got 10 kg rice per month from 2009 to October 2010 but the cards were taken away in October 2010. Rice under this scheme was priced at the rate of Rs.6 per kg.
Sanitation system is very poor in the camp. Six latrines were constructed by an NGO. But those were not strong enough to serve the purpose of 43 families. They broke down very soon.
No compensation has been given to the inmates of the Bengtal camp till date. In the recent agitation called ‘Dispur Chalo’, 25 people from the camps took part in the agitation and they are organizing another campaign for adequate compensation and rehabilitation.

Bongaigaon relief camps of Bodos who were displaced in 1990s

Bongaigaon, Assam: There are 45 Bodo families living in this camp. In the neighborhood there are two more camps comprising members of the community. The North Runikhata camp has eight families and Hirimba camp has 83 families as inmates. They were displaced during ethnic clashes between Bodos and Adivasi in the 1990s.
‘We are here for a long time. We submitted all the papers to the government but outcome is frustrating. We don’t have permanent residence. We lived in Dorgaon camp for a year. Then we were shifted here’, said an inmate of the Bhurpaar Balabari camp in Bongaigaon district of Assam.

Nogen Gayari in front of his camp
Nogen Gayari, the village headman said, ‘Initially we were 93 families and were displaced in 1998. We got Rs 10 thousand as interim compensation and rupees three thousand was deducted from this amount as we were supplied tin sheets worth the amount.’
Asked how his community got displaced, Gayari said, ‘First clash between Bodos and Adivasi community started in 1996. We were in Kusumdisha. It followed the 1998 conflict. We were displaced in 1996 also when we lived in Kokrajhar camp and then went back home. But in 1998 we have to leave home and we couldn’t go back till today’.
Gayari remembers the day when clash started in the market where he was to get daily essential stuff for the family. ‘Conflict started in day time. I was in Shantipur bazaar. As I finished my marketing and was about to go back home. I found that clash started between Bodos and Adivasis. My family was at home. I saw many people being killed or wounded. I think about 4-5 persons were killed that day. Somehow I managed to go back home and took my family and left home to reach a relief camp. We survived on rice and dal for many months. We got Rs 10 thousand as compensation in 2001 and then our ration stopped in April in the same year.’ Nogen Goyari said.
Government officials asked the inmates to look for suitable places and settle. ‘We bought this land for rupees ten thousand and are living here. We don’t have enough land to do farming. Since 2006 we are demanding relief and we were told that there is no money for relief’, said Bokul Basumatary, another inmate of the camp.
Bokul lamented, ‘We cannot go back. Our original lands are occupied by other people and hence we can’t go there anymore. Our houses were in reserve lands and the occupiers said that they will not vacate the land. Moreover we are here for a long time and hence we don’t want to go anywhere else’.
None of the Bodo camps took part in the recent agitation for demand of rehabilitation. ‘We didn’t take part in any agitation. We are Bodos. How can we agitate against the Bodos?’ said the inmates of the camp

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