Drive to build safe house for Jit Bahadur's family

BY SHANKAR KC,Salyan, Mar. 28: The dense forest along the Salyan-Surkhet border lies far from human settlement. After nightfall, nothing can be heard except the sounds of animals and the wind. In the middle of this jungle, the family of Jit Bahadur Sarki from Bangaun, Ward No. 7 of Kalimati Rural Municipality, has endured years of hardship. Forced to survive inside a fragile hut made of wood and straw, the family continues to endure extreme poverty.

For nearly 45 years, Jit Bahadur’s family has lived in this forest hut without even the most basic facilities for safe shelter. They have neither a safe house nor a stable source of income. Struggling to get by each day, their biggest dream is simply a small, secure home.

“We don’t need anything big,” he said. “If only someone could build us a small house to live in.”

His wife, Pansari, said that during the monsoon, rainwater seeps into the hut, making it impossible to sleep, while winters bring unbearable cold. Recently, their lives had been further overshadowed by the fear of tiger attacks. After three people were killed by a tiger in the area not long ago, the family now lives in constant anxiety.

“We have a child. If we had a proper house, we could leave the child safely inside and work outside,” she said. “But here, we are always afraid. We never know what might happen.”

During the months of April and May, frequent forest fires force them to abandon their shelter and flee to safer places.

To earn a living, the family has built a small shed where they raise cows and goats. Although this is their main source of income, it is not enough to sustain them. They own no ancestral property, have no land in their name, and even the crops they grow on public land are often destroyed by animals before they can harvest them. At times, they survive by selling goats and by doing daily wage labour, just enough to manage two meals a day.

According to locals, tiger attacks have been increasing in recent times in Ward No. 7 of Kalimati and surrounding areas. Incidents of livestock being killed in sheds occur almost daily. In such a high-risk environment, it is easy to imagine how unsafe it is for a family of five to live in a weak hut. This is the harsh reality of a family struggling to survive against all odds.

Ward Chairman Mitralal Rijal of Kalimati-7 said that Jit Bahadur’s house is located about one and a half kilometres inside the forest, away from the village. Given the family’s extremely vulnerable condition, building a safe home has been identified as the top priority. He added that an initiative to raise funds had already begun, with some personal contributions as well.

Although the rural municipality had a corrugated sheet distribution programme, the family has been unable to utilise it due to their lack of financial capacity to build a house.

Under the government’s People’s Housing Programme, many poor and Dalit families have received homes. However, Jit Bahadur Sarki has yet to benefit from the scheme. Recognising this hardship, a support campaign has now been launched.

The fundraising effort is being led by local social activist Himal Magar in coordination with the ward office. According to him, the campaign has just begun and has so far collected around Rs. 20,000 in contributions.