The haliyas (bonded land tillers) are facing shortage of food for over a month. The sitauion arose after the stock of food grain they got from their masters ran out and also that they cannot afford to buy the grain.

One haliya Karna BK of Bandhu said the grain that they received on mid-October as winter wage was used up.

The haliyas are provided with some grain as their wages twice a year. The grain is enough for only four months. As for the rest of the year, the haliyas have to fend for themselves. They face the problem as they do not have any other occupation to support their family, another haliya Ratne Lohar said.

Jasiram Lohar of Kotila added though the food is available in the market, they could not afford to buy "such expensive rice".

According to Tika BK, the coordinator of the Society for Liberation of Haliyas, all the haliya families are landless. They get food for the day they work in the masters' field and two sacks of grain in a year. He added that out of 27 VDCs of the district, 11 located in northeastern Bajura have the haliya system.