Squatter Issue: Many Refused Compensation Within Given Deadline, What Will the Government Do Next?
“Whether I get shot or suffer any harm, it’s for the government. I will not leave this place. Until another permanent solution is found, I will stay here. I have even gotten the last room,” said Krishna Bahadur Tamang, who has been living at the Ichangu holding center for two months, showing his resolve not to move elsewhere.
The displaced Tamang couple from Thapathali’s squatter community said that in the month of Baisakh, they were kept for 10-12 days in a hotel in Balaju and later relocated to a building constructed specifically for squatters at Ichangu.
“Even if we get a distant room, we are not in a condition to move. I am ill and my wife cannot walk,” he explained.
In Baisakh, the government had constructed various holding centers to temporarily house the displaced, while others stayed outside.
Now, all were instructed to submit applications by Monday to receive a one-time payment of NPR 25,000 and to resettle in their own homes. Additionally, a monthly allowance of NPR 15,000 for three months was promised to cover rent costs as part of resettlement expenses.
However, Tamang and nearly half of the displaced have indicated that they will not accept this directive.
Only 1,400 Applications Received
The government had evacuated settlements along hazard-prone riverbanks in the Kathmandu Valley on Baisakh 12, 13, 19, and 20.
Among the hundreds displaced, some initiated livelihood restoration efforts while others registered their names on the government list.
“Currently, 388 people are at various holding centers and 2,220 are outside, totaling 2,608 on the list.
Out of these, 1,440 have submitted applications to receive compensation,” said Machakaji Maharjan, Project Director of the Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, on Tuesday morning.
Image source, HPCIDB
The committee initially set deadlines on Asar 12 and later extended to Asar 19 to submit applications for self-management.
With a further extension, applications were allowed until Monday, Asar 22.
What will the committee do now? “Those who did not submit or fail to submit applications will have to be sent back,” Maharjan explained.
“For those who do submit applications, there is a plan to certify and provide permanent arrangements within three months.”
However, victims like Tamang are not particularly optimistic.
“The government brought us here promising to organize us. Until there’s a permanent solution, we must be allowed to stay here. We will stay here. This holding center was specifically built to accommodate squatters,” said Tamang.
Solution to Take 500 Days
Image source, RSS
Speaking in the National Assembly on Monday, Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs, and General Administration Pratibha Rawal announced that the government aims to resolve the issues faced by landless people nationwide within 500 days.
“The Nepal government’s policy is to rehabilitate squatter families taken from various places in the Kathmandu Valley and kept in holding centers with long-term solutions,” she said.
“For now, the government intends to provide relief of NPR 25,000 per family and a monthly housing allowance of NPR 15,000 for three months, aiming to restore families to their normal lives.”
Minister Rawal further stated that the Land Problem Resolution Committee is prioritizing providing land to landless families in appropriate locations based on citizenship.
She added that, nationwide, more than 1.2 million applications concerning landless Dalits, squatters, and informal settlers are in the process of certification, including 103,140 cases of landless Dalits, 186,860 squatter families, and 954,065 informal settler families.
The minister acknowledged that the influx of further applications is making the problem more challenging to solve.
She confirmed the government policy to resolve the problem within 500 days following a phased approach. This contrasts with the National Independent Party’s declared goal of resolving it within 1,000 days.
In a related development, on Asar 18, land ownership registration certificates were distributed to 29 landless families in Bardiya’s Badhaiatal Rural Municipality.
Yet, for displaced victims like Tamang, immediate problems have grown more severe alongside long-term plans.
“Since I came here (Ichangu holding center), I have not been able to do any work. Now even food and water services have been removed. Conditions are extremely difficult. The government must allow us to stay here as long as we need,” Tamang stressed.
You can watch related videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Our content is also available on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
