90 Village Families in Sikkim's Dzuluk Settlement Served Eviction Notice amid Lockdown

Gangtok, April 21, 2020:

For the 90 families of the remote Dzuluk settlement in East Sikkim that borders China, bad news came knocking on their doors on April 7, in the middle of the Government-imposed lockdown that has been called in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

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On April 7, merely days after the lockdown began, these families living near the border received an eviction notice from the Office of the Divisional Forest Officer. In the eviction notice, it was stated that the residents are "illegally" occupying the forest area, where they have lived for generations. They were asked to vacate the premises within 15 days. Since schools and panchayats have been established by the Government, how are they illegal, they question.

The Dzuluk that falls under the Gnathang -Machong constituency in East Sikkim, is a small hamlet that is inhabited by people from all age groups, and is indeed a thriving settlement where the people have lived and loved for several decades now.

Meanwhile, the occupants of these areas who have been living in the locality with their families for over 40 years are not willing to accept it. Since schools and panchayats have been established by the Government, how are they illegal, they question.

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The locals informed Inside Northeast that the people of the villages were residing in the hamlet prior to 1960 when Sikkim was a separate sovereign kingdom. People of the Dzuluk wwere actually brought to construct the road during the time of the 1962 Indo-China war and from that time onwards, the people have been residing there. Now, however, they are in absolute despair as the threat of eviction looms large.

Villagers also informed that they had constantly supported the army during the time of requirement. They had supported Indian army during the war of 1961 as traders, potters and guides to the soldiers prior to merger of Sikkim with Union of India and the recent Dokolam stand off, they said.

[caption id="attachment_57589" align="alignnone" width="660"] The settlement from above[/caption]

Amid all this, the department has sent another notice informing them that they will not be evicted till May 15 due to the ongoing lockdown. The local MLA, D T Lepcha, has also written a letter to the Prime Minister apprising the matter, but the fate of these 90 families still remains uncertain.

"We have burned our ancestors here, so we will not leave. But we also don't want to stay illegally, we are legally. We have paid taxes to the Sikkim Government and we have the slips. The people from Gangtok should some here and see what is going on", a local said, adding that the people there have been staying there since the 1960's. However, he said that the village never caught the attention of the local administration as it is located in a remote area.

"Thus, it is our appeal to the Government authorities sitting in Gangtok to come and see how we are living", he reiterated.

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