About 48 daily wagers at the Dalma wildlife sanctuary have not been paid for the past six months.

The situation has forced most of them to borrow money on interest, also forcing many to discontinue their children’s education. Several young people from such families have been forced to sit idle as jobs avenues are yet to open.

“We have no option but to wait. Most of the daily wagers have started borrowing on interest from lenders of Chilgu village. The lenders are charging 10 per cent interest on the loan. We are living in utter penury but are continuing with our work,” Shristidhar Mahto, a watchman posted at the main entrance gates of the sanctuary at Makukakocha, told The Telegraph Online.

Mahto also said that forest officials have informed them that pending dues are expected to be cleared next week. “We have been hearing this for over two months now. We will believe only when we are paid. We are already fed up with false assurances,” he added.

Pritam Tudu, another worker, said, “My son and daughter are not going to school as it is closed due to the pandemic. I started tuitions but it has been discontinued as I cannot afford the same.” He said that some educated village youths have been teaching the children.

The men and women working at Dalma are engaged in maintaining the accommodations, taking care of two domesticated elephants (as mahauts) and some working as cooks and trackers (who are recruited to keep a tab on movement of animals across the sprawling 192 sq km sanctuary, 30 km from Jamshedpur). They are paid Rs 249.83 per day for their labour.

The workers held an agitation near the main entrance of the sanctuary and also detained forest range officer (West) Dinesh Chandra last month.

Mahto, who heads the Dainik Vetan Bhogi Majdoor Sangh, said, “We staged an agitation last month, but nothing worked. I think it will be a futile exercise to do the same again. We are helpless and have no option than to wait.”

Mahto did thank some foresters for helping them out with money. “The foresters have also asked some grocers to give us grocery on credit. But this arrangement cannot continue for long. The government should allocate funds for our pending dues,” he said.

A forest official said dues would only be cleared after the forest department allocates the money. "We are very much aware of the situation, but dues can be cleared only if the fund is allocated by the forest department," he said on condition of anonymity.