Loan sharks force men to bear bullock yoke in Malda

Muchia (Malda), Feb. 17: Two men in Mahadebpur slosh through knee-deep mud as they pull the heavy yoke of a plough on a paddy field, while a third keeps an eye on the furrow.

The roles change every now and then.

They are among a group of villagers being used by local moneylenders to plough their fields because they have run up debts ranging from Rs 3,000 to 5,000.

The debts have reduced more than 25 families in the Muchia village panchayat area, spread over three-four villages, to bonded labourers.

Many of the residents of Mahadebpur, Taltala and Kailashpur, which are very close to the Bangladesh border, said they had sold all their cattle for fear of thieves.

That made them poorer and forced them to borrow heavily. Now, they do bullocks’ work on others’ fields.

Neither the administration nor the panchayat has intervened to put an end to the bestial means to recover money.

Several groups of “human bullocks” were on the fields this morning, preparing for the sowing season.

“What else can we do? We are very poor and had taken loans at a monthly interest of 10 per cent. Everyday, we are paid Rs 30 for this work and it goes into repaying my debt,” said Netai Mondal, one of the men yoked to a plough.

He was in one of the three teams working on 20 acres belonging to Jyotish Sarkar. “They owe me money and that is why they are working on my field. It is not that all of them are pulling ploughs, some are engaged in other farming activities,” Sarkar said.

The BJP panchayat chief, Asit Sarkar, said he saw nothing wrong in men doing the work of bullocks. “If someone wishes to pull ploughs, what can I do? I’ve heard about this practice in some villages. Those who are doing it are very poor and we are incapable of providing them with work under the 100-day employment guarantee scheme,” he said.

Asit alleged that the district administration was not interested in Muchia as the panchayat was held by an alliance of the Congress, Trinamul Congress and the BJP.

Subdivisional officer Arunima Dey, however, said: “It is a matter of great concern that we have not been able to initiate the 100-day work scheme in the Muchia area.”

Dey added that the panchayat chief had written to the Malda administration, saying there was no work for labourers in the area. “Sahapur village panchayat, which is adjacent to Muchia, has the same problem.”

District magistrate Chittaranjan Das appeared startled when he heard about the situation. “I will enquire about it. We’ve been allotted crores of rupees to provide employment to the poor,” he said