Narayan Kaji Shrestha Prakash@narayankajis
I strongly condemn and denounce the bulldozer terror and the suppression of squatters across the country, as well as the arbitrary displacement of squatters, and I urge an immediate end to such anti-people, anti-poor, undemocratic actions.
Firstly, the government must understand that squatters are also Nepalese citizens; they too have the right to live and dwell with dignity. They are suffering this situation primarily due to the state system. The Constitution guarantees everyone’s right to housing. It is in no way acceptable that someone be homeless and humiliated in their own country simply because they do not own land. All of them must be ensured the right to adequate housing, and it is the government's primary duty to arrange that.
Secondly, It doesn't imply that squatters should be allowed to live wherever they please.That must be regulated. In solving the squatters’ problem, two things must be addressed: no real squatter should be rendered homeless and left under the open sky. They should be provided with proper housing and managed scientifically, not let haphazard. Also, under the guise of scientific management or city beautification, squatters must never be made homeless ,humiliated , oppressed , stigmatized or mentally terrorized.
In this regard, although previous governments formed many commissions to solve the squatters’ problem, they could not provide a long-term solution.
But the current Balendra-led government has treated squatters not only as non-citizens but as people to be demeaned, oppressed, humiliated, and dehumanized. Even when he was the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, during my tenure as Home Minister, we discussed this issue. Our disagreement was that on his request I would instruct the security forces to remove the squatters; I said we should first study who the real squatters are and who are fake, prepare factual data, and arrange alternative resettlement for the real squatters. After making that arrangement, we would inform the squatters and, with a definite deadline, relocate them from the current spots to alternate locations. If there were fake squatters, they would be removed by any necessary means. Move forward with this approach; the federal government would fully support and cooperate. He did not agree to the legitimate proper process, and the problem persisted. His government is still on the wrong path.
Therefore, I urge the government to change its perspective toward squatters and to end the repression of squatters in the name of solving their problem by relocating squatters forcibly without prior preparation, and by humiliating, denigrating, and confounding them. Please rectify the current policy and actions immediately.
To this end, please adopt the following approach and policy:
1. Squatters are Nepalese citizens, and they have the right to live with dignity in their country. The irresponsible, poor-minded notion that they are dirty and a burden must be abandoned. They must be guaranteed the housing rights as ensured by the Constitution. It is the government’s duty to arrange this.
2. Within a fixed time period, data on all real squatters in the country must be collected.Resettlement plan must be developed for them, either in their current location or through an alternative arrangement.
If they need to be relocated based on that plan they must be moved with prior information .
If there are individuals falsely claiming to be squatters and if they have obtained also the land under that name, such cases must be revoked, and necessary decisions must be made to penalize them.
3. After data collection and the formulation of a concrete resettlement plan,the squatters must be managed according to that plan .
While arranging resettlement, except in situations where the government deems a specific location absolutely necessary due to a special project, priority should be given to the place where they have labored and lived for a long time.
