Relocation With Dignity

Every state has defined obligations towards its citizens. In the first place, the state must ensure the security of the people, and then it must create the necessary conditions for their livelihood. They must have access to basic needs - food, shelter, health, education, job and social security – which guarantee their survival, happiness and dignity. This is one reason our constitution has stipulated 31 fundamental rights for the people. The country has also enacted laws and regulations accordingly, but it is not easy to meet all the people's needs by merely guaranteeing their rights in the national charter. The national economy, resources, income and the people's social-economic status play an important role in meeting the constitutional obligations of the state. Over 20 per cent of Nepalis still live below the poverty line, with widening inequality and scarcity of jobs. Corruption, mismanagement, instability, natural disasters, and pandemics have pushed the people into penury.

Realising its responsibility, the present government under Prime Minister Balendra Shah has taken drastic steps to provide safe housing for genuine landless squatters living on public land for years. In the first phase, it has evacuated the landless squatters who have been living along the banks of the Bagmati River and its tributaries in the Kathmandu Valley. They have been enduring annual floods that swell the river during the rainy season. They were forced to lose property and sometimes precious lives. By relocating them to the safe sites, the government seeks to reclaim the encroached land and remove unlawful settlements. For this, the local governments have been mobilised, directing them to protect public land, maintain digital records and stop new encroachments. The Ministry of Urban Development, in coordination with various government departments, started evacuating settlements located along riverbanks, road corridors and other public spaces from April 25, according to a news report of this daily published on Sunday.

Altogether 2,687 huts and houses have been knocked down in Kathmandu. About 890 were concrete buildings, while the remaining 1,797 were makeshift huts. These settlements were prone to floods and environmentally sensitive. These unmanaged houses have also been sources of pollution to the rivers. Various media reports disclose that land mafias were also involved in building houses for the purpose of collecting rent from them. There was a seven-storey house built by infringing upon the government land at Anamnagar of Kathmandu. In the past, the owner of this building reportedly threatened the security forces not to demolish it, telling them of his nexus with powerful politicians. His illegal house is not only dismantled but he is  now in custody for keeping undocumented weapons. This is just a case of how land mafias encroach on land and earn money from rent. The authorities have found that many families living in these settlements have their land or houses elsewhere.

Now over 2,600 families have sought rehabilitation assistance from the government. Around 1,000 individuals have been staying in the holding centres in different parts of the Valley. They are now satisfied with the facilities, such as food and medical check-ups at their shelters. Their children have also received education free of cost. However, they are concerned about their future. Most of them are daily wage earners, so they want to be relocated to the areas where they are able to make ends meet. The government must find a long-term solution to the problems of landless people. Any attempt to politicise the issue for partisan gain might complicate the bid to ensure a dignified settlement of the landless people.