The painful struggle of the Miya couple, who have been visiting the administration and police offices for three years in the hope of getting their land back, continues.
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Chhuthar Miyan, 58, and his wife Sadina Khatun, 57, a meter-bill victim from Kathauna, Shambhunath Municipality-6, Saptari, had reached the District Administration Office on Friday as well. Carrying a thick file with evidence in their hands, they have been running to the administration and police offices for three years in search of justice. However, their worries have increased as they have not yet decided to get their land back.
‘Three years have passed while running for justice. There is still no decision on how long it will take to get justice,’ said Chhuthar. ‘Even when we live at home, we are worried about losing our land. That is why sometimes we come to the administration office to sit.’
When they returned home on Friday evening, they said that the years spent waiting for justice had changed their daily lives. ‘I come here to see if I can find someone who understands the problems of the poor and takes the initiative,’ he said, ‘I heard that an agreement has been reached with the government, now I hope that justice will be served.’
The Chhuts had also participated in the foot march of meter-billing victims that started from Janakpur to Kathmandu on Ashad 10. However, after talks between Home Minister Sudhan Gurung and the victims in Nijgadh, it was decided that only a few representatives would go to Kathmandu, so he returned home on Thursday midnight. He said that even after returning home, he could not sleep due to the worry of justice.
The Chhuts had taken a loan of Rs 200,000 from Gopal Sah of the village on Magh 8, 2071 to send their son for foreign employment. At that time, they had given a Kapali Tamsuk worth Rs 300,000 and had transferred four and a half kathas of land in plot number 143 of the then Bhagaha VDC-7 as collateral in the name of Gopal’s wife Pavitri Devi Sah.
Seeing that his son, who had gone to Dubai, could not earn the expected income and would have trouble repaying the loan, the Chhutas planned to run a clothing tailoring shop in Kathauna Chowk. For that, on Asoj 6, 2073, they took a loan of Rs. 280,000 from Gopal's son Jayaprakash Sah. This time too, they transferred 10.5 kathas of land in plot number 952 of the then Bhagaha VDC-9 to Jayaprakash's wife Manju Sah as collateral.
After that, they continued to pay the principal and interest of the first loan from the income of their son who was in foreign employment and the earnings from the tailoring shop. According to them, by Mangsir 29, 2075, they had to pay Rs. 556,570, out of which Rs. 525,169 had been paid. They said that even though the remaining Rs. 31,411 was still to be paid, they had not received the mortgaged land back.
He said that he also had the loan taken from Jayaprakash, which he had paid in installments of Rs 500,000 on various dates. ‘We have already paid about Rs 1.6 million after paying the principal and interest of Rs 480,000 taken from the father and son,’ he said, ‘but they refused to return the land.’
After the government started taking applications from the meter-rate victim, he registered the application under registration number 81 on 24 Baisakh 2080. ‘The district administration and the police office cut letters dozens of times, there were many discussions,’ he said, ‘but in front of their money and access, there were few people who listened to me.’
According to him, they had been cultivating both the plots of land passed as collateral until 2078 BS. ‘They claim to have bought the land now,’ he said, ‘but everyone in the village knows that I have been using the mortgaged land for years.’
According to the Chhuts’ claims, the Sah family has now sold both plots of land to others. ‘We have been dealt a huge blow,’ he said, ‘due to this tension, we even had to close our sewing shop. Now we have to wander all over the place in search of justice.’
Like the Chhuts’ couple, most of the meter interest victims in Saptari have not yet received justice. According to the District Administration Office, 3,666 victims have filed applications in three phases from April 2080 to June 2083. Of these, only 786 applications have been settled, while 141 applications have been agreed upon, but formal settlement is yet to be reached.
According to Assistant Chief District Officer and Information Officer of the Administration Naresh Kumar Yadav, the victims have received Rs 116.1936 in cash and 50 bighas and 8 katthas of land as a result of the settlement so far. In addition, Kapali Tamsuk worth Rs 157.915,452 has been returned. He said that cases of unfair transaction, fraud and criminal breach of trust have been registered in 38 complaints where an agreement could not be reached.
Meanwhile, the accused Jayaprakash Sah claimed that he had bought the land. ‘Our loan is not a matter of transaction.’ He said, ‘A petition has been filed claiming meter-billing to the undeserving.’ He also rejected the claim of recovery of the loan.
