Rajbiraj: Musahars, who have been living in thatched huts built on the land of others, will now be able to live in brick houses of their own.

The 22 Musahar households in Jamuwa tole of Ghoghanpur VDC, Saptari are thrilled at the prospect of living in tin-roofed homes. Seventy-five-year old Ramji Sada Musahar is happy that he will live to see his own tin-roofed house.
Since the government declared the implementation of Janata Awas (People's Home) Program in Kapilbastu, Siraha and Saptari in the last budget, Rs 130 million has been dispatched to Saptari to construct houses for 1000 Dalits, the Urban Development and Building Construction Office in Rajbiraj says.

Construction work has already started in six VDCs for Dalit and Muslim households. The area has one of the largest concentrations of Dalits in the country.

Division Engineer of the Urban Development Office, Shyam Kishor Singh, says that the houses will each cost Rs 159,280 and will be 22 by 15 feet wide, with a verandah and a small kitchen.

The local Dalit community has also been volunteering to help in construction. The houses will be ready at the end of this month, Site Engineer Rabindra Kumar Dev said.