Nepal
Demanding proper resettlement before demolition, landless squatters of Kathmandu valley have held a demonstration in the heart of the capital on Monday.
Holding placards and chanting slogans, they demanded that the government resettle them before taking measures to evict them from their riverside settlements such as the Bagmati bank at Thapathali.
A week ago, the squatters fought a pitch battle with Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) security personnel at Thapathali when the metropolis drove bulldozers to pull down some 150 huts, home to nearly 5,000 squatters.
In the ensuing violence, 36 KMC security personnel were injured. The KMC lodged police complaints against several squatters involved in the violence.
Now the squatters are demanding that their leaders be pardoned, their basic human rights are upheld and their housing needs are addressed.
“Doesn’t this city belong to the poor too?” a placard read, while another demanded “justice” for the landless.
Although the move was aimed at clearing the river bank of squatters’ huts and help restore the natural beauty of the Bagmati, KMC’s move to send bulldozers to Thapathali drew widespread criticism.
Yet KMC Mayor Balendra Shah defended his move and went on to criticise CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli who expressed surprise at the violent scene.
The mayor said KMC police personnel were sent to help the High-Powered Committee for Integrated Development of Bagmati Civilisation, which has been struggling to clean up the Bagmati and its tributaries.
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The National Land Commission, meanwhile, said efforts are underway to collect nationwide details of all squatters. The Commission officials criticised KMC for failing to live up to its promise to gather data of all the squatters living in the city.
Studies say Kathmandu valley is home to nearly 50,000 landless squatters, living in flimsy huts built on river banks and unutilised government-owned plots. Despite the protests and concerns over the plight of landless squatters, it’s unclear how the commission will resettle the squatters.
