Summary: The government has decided to provide a one-time payment of 25,000 rupees as resettlement compensation to homeless families evicted from riverbanks in the Kathmandu Valley. To enable self-management, five-member families will receive 15,000 rupees, and larger families will get an additional 2,000 rupees per extra member for three months. The government assured resettlement within 15 days, but permanent solutions are yet to be finalized, leaving the homeless population dissatisfied. June 6, Kathmandu.
Rajkumar Majhi had been living along the banks of the Balkhu River as a homeless resident for 20 years. Displaced from Jhapa and arriving in Kathmandu with no means for food or shelter, he settled with other homeless residents by the riverbank, thinking even a small space could help sustain them. However, the Nepalese government declared riverbank dwellers as encroachers and demolished their settlements. They were then relocated to holding centers in Kirtipur. While immediate food and shelter were available, concerns about the future loomed large.
Majhi’s worries grew with the government’s recent decision. According to government spokesperson and Education Minister Sashmit Pokharel, the cabinet decided to provide 25,000 rupees in a lump sum for resettlement of those removed from Kathmandu’s riverbanks. In the cabinet meeting held Tuesday, 15,000 rupees were announced for five-member families, with an additional 2,000 rupees per extra member for families requiring accommodation for up to three months.
Additionally, elderly, helpless, and disabled individuals will be managed in designated holding centers, and schooling and healthcare for children will be organized in coordination with local governments, Pokharel said. However, Majhi remains dissatisfied with the government’s decision, which he has not officially heard about but only through news on YouTube, causing him frustration. Although the government promised arrangements within 15 days, nearly a month has passed with no permanent solution.
“We were promised arrangements within 15 days, but nothing has been done. Now they say manage by yourself. What can we eat with such little money? Where will we live?” Majhi said, “They demolished our homes and now ask us to organize ourselves. This is humiliation and injustice. Even within our own country, we are not given the rights of citizens.”
The government’s bulldozer campaign demolished the home of Balkrishna Humagain, who lived in a homeless settlement at Shankhamul. His family has nowhere to go. Currently, they reside at the Kharipati holding center in Bhaktapur. “There is a shortage of medicine. I need treatment on my leg. My wife has eye problems. I don’t even know about my daughter’s schooling,” he recounted the negligence inside the holding center. Humagain no longer trusts the government’s promise of money or resettlement. Despite needing medical care, he has been unable to meet the ward chairman after searching for settlements in Ward No. 10 of Kathmandu. Even after moving to Bhaktapur, he remains dissatisfied with the government’s decisions.
He feels the amount allocated for self-management is inadequate. Before demolishing settlements, the government had assured arrangements within 15 days, which have not materialized, a common grievance among the homeless. “Within another 10-15 days, proper arrangements for landless people are being prepared. Please cooperate,” the Kathmandu District Administration Office stated on May 23. They also said, “All persons and families evicted from here will be accommodated in minimum facilities arranged by the government.” However, with no arrangements after 15 days and a month passing, Humagain complained about being given only a small sum and asked to manage by themselves.
According to him, staying in the holding center is not easy. If protests arise, staff at the center do not allow residents to go outside. “How is this acceptable?” Humagain asked. “We are given money but we are not willing to accept it. We want proper resettlement.” Currently, 201 people live in the holding center, and about 70 percent have refused the government funds.
Geeta Lama, who lives in the Kirtipur holding center, had to leave her job as a street vendor in Thapathali. Besides the food and lodging provided by the center, she cannot manage other expenses. Supporting her disabled husband and school-going daughter is challenging. She said the government’s promised money is insufficient. She also struggles to pay rent. “I had to quit my job. What now? It’s hard to find work. Being labeled homeless, I can’t get a room or a job,” said Geeta.
Currently, 172 homeless residents live at the Kirtipur holding center, managed by Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Pawan Gurung, vice president of the Joint Homeless Front, described the government’s forceful eviction of homeless families as inhumane. After their homes were demolished, they had nowhere to go. The government’s actions haven’t created respectful conditions outside, nor has society treated them properly. The state has not only removed their settlements but dealt a huge blow to their dignity and self-respect. This has made finding rooms and work difficult, as Geeta Lama emphasized.
“What can be done with 15,000 rupees? How will it work? What is the condition of the homeless?” Gurung questioned. “Without adequate compensation, promises of resettlement within a week have resulted in this situation.” He also expressed dissatisfaction that the government did not engage stakeholders. Neither the Prime Minister nor the relevant ministries convened discussions. Decisions were made unilaterally without including the homeless. “People living in Kathmandu were evicted as encroachers. Some parliamentarians also lived in these areas but were granted long-standing rights. Why do homeless residents who have lived here for generations have no rights? Where is the justice?” Therefore, he demanded the government urgently provide sustainable resettlement and quick land ownership certificates. “If preparations were not ready, why give a 15-day promise and demolish settlements?” Gurung questioned.
