The twelve-feet-wide concrete road that leads to Satnami Pada of Khariar NAC looks like a drain. The main drain on the side of the National Highway ends at this point, and the wastewater released from the houses flows on the road to enter into this Dalit settlement.
Kanji House Pada is another such Dalit settlement of Khariar NAC located in front of the Khariar NAC office. The road leading to this Basti was more than 25-feet wide, but the NAC constructed cabins on one side a few years ago resulting in narrowing of the road to less than 8 feet. The stories of all other Dalit Bastis of Khariar NAC are the same. Most of them are in low-lying areas and the drainage systems are very poor, resulting in serious sanitation problems and health hazards.
“We are the most neglected lots in the NAC. The NAC never sends any sweeper to our settlements; rather, they use our areas as waste dumping yards,” says Manu Tandi of Kanji House Pada. He further said all the hospital wastes of the Khariar Community Health Centre are dumped on the road near their houses.
“Why is the NAC so callous towards the Dalits,” asks Kamal lochan Tandi, president of Dalit Adhikar Manch of Khariar. “The water supply facility in our settlements is inadequate; the roads to our Bastis are broken; there is no streetlight; the ponds which we use for household purposes have turned into wastewater storage tanks; but the NAC is a silent spectator,” adds Kamal.
Aggrieved over all such discriminations, the Dalit Adhikar Manch held a rally in Khariar town and staged a demonstration in front of the Khariar NAC office on Tuesday. They submitted a memorandum to the NAC Chairperson demanding immediate remedial action. NAC Chairperson Khulana Behera said she would call a council meeting to discuss the issues and take immediate action.
Bulu Jagat, Khuturam Sunani, Surendra Kumar and Dalit leaders of all the settlements participated in the rally.