MADHYABINDU (Nawalparasi), Dec 28: The Musahar community of Devchuli Municipality-2 is suffering from biting cold with the dipping mercury. There are nearly 113 Musahar households, which survive on daily wages. It is one of the most backward communities in the country. Local Shanti Musahar said, "We have neither clothes nor food to brave the severe cold."

Her house is a hut-like structure. The door and windows have no furniture and are left open round the clock. "The only option is sun basking. We sleep on straw. My husband has not got a job, either," she shared her plight. There are a lot of Musahars like Shanti who are bound to spend the night on empty stomachs. "It is difficult to manage food twice a day," she wailed.

Similarly, Jitani Majhi, 65, said there are no food grains nor clothes. "We're deprived of food and left hungry for a long time. As there is no work, it has been long we have not been able to manage evening meals," she grieved. Meanwhile, mayor of Devchuli Municipality, Hari Prasad Neupane, said his office would immediately manage warm clothes and food stuffs in the Musahar settlement. "Even some programs are in the offing to elevate the financial status of Musahar people," he vowed.

 
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