Long Overdue Move

The government’s move to evacuate unplanned settlements on the banks of the Bagmati and Manohara rivers in the Kathmandu Valley has stirred most people in the country. It has frightened the actual squatters who have nowhere to go and left ordinary citizens wary whether the government formed with almost two-thirds majority in the parliament may resort to forceful eviction of the squatters, disregarding their right to life and livelihood. On the other hand, many people harbour hope that the protracted problem will be resolved for good and landless citizens will have their own homes.  The problem of landless squatters is not something new in Nepal. No one can deny that some citizens lack their own land to build a house and they need proper settlement like others. And successive governments formed one commission after another to ‘resolve the plight of landless squatters’. 

But the problem persists for decades, thanks to the overpoliticisation of the issue by key stakeholders. Many people occupying the public land along the rivers are not actually landless. They have property in other places but are taking advantage of their political connections to encroach the public land. The past governments failed to demonstrate adequate willpower to end the thorny problem once and for all. Instead, the major political parties perceived the landless squatters as their vote bank and exploited them to push their agendas. The Baburam Bhattarai-led government took an initiative to build houses at Ichangunarayan to relocate the squatters living on the banks of the Bagmati and Manohara rivers. Strangely, the squatters, facing fears of floods every monsoon, refused to move and the buildings constructed with taxpayers’ money are left abandoned. 

As one government tried to evacuate the settlements, the other political parties resisted the move, invoking humanitarian and livelihood concerns.  In his capacity as the Mayor of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balendra Shah had attempted to clear the banks of the Bagmati River but the political parties, UML in particular, resisted the step stiffly. As the Prime Minister of the country, Shah has pledged to address the issue of landless squatters as a priority. The genuine squatters have expressed faith that the new government will resolve their issue for good. Still, there is an objection to claims that the government formed after the Gen Z movement has forgotten its pledge of serving the people and is displacing the poorest people using force. 

This claim, however, does not hold much weight as the government is moving with good intentions. According to a news report in this daily, Prime Minister Shah himself has affirmed that the squatters will be relocated safely, paying attention to humanitarian concerns. He has also maintained that the genuine sukumbasis will be provided with land to build their own house as quickly as possible. A central coordination committee has been formed under the Ministry of Urban Development, representing Kathmandu Metropolitan City, District Administration Office, ministries of Home, Health, and Physical Development, among others. 

The committee issued notice to the squatters to vacate the settlements, to be followed by demolition of structures and the clearance of the land. It has promised to take special care of persons with disabilities, children, pregnant women, postnatal mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses. It has even assured assistance with transporting people's belongings who cannot do so on their own. Once relocated, camps will be set up to verify the landless, and those who fail to qualify as genuine squatters will be removed, while the real landless will be provided with land to build houses. Let’s hope the initiative will resolve the long-standing problem forever.