By Munize Ali, TwoCircles.net,
TCN Special Series on riot relief camps in Assam: Part 3
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.