‘No More Excuses of Floods, Permanent Settlement is What’s Needed’: PM Balen’s Clear Stance on Squatter Management

Kathmandu — Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) has made his views clear on the relocation of squatters residing along the riverbanks of Kathmandu, posting on social media on Friday. He described the move as an end to a years-long hazardous situation and clarified that the relocation would be carried out humanely, without the use of force.

In his Facebook post, Prime Minister Shah wrote, “Have you forgotten, or do you remember, the scene that plays out every year — when thousands of people living along Kathmandu’s riverbanks are forced to flee, saving only their lives and leaving all their belongings behind, only for the government to then have to rescue them?” He noted that this has been a problem for years and a fate that repeats annually, stressing that instead of deferring it to the coming years, safe settlement arrangements must now be made.

Prime Minister Shah questioned, “Just think, are we to keep waiting for the day a major disaster strikes? Will we keep playing politics of rights and votes while playing with their lives, leaving them in such a state forever?” He stated that risk-free management is the right of the squatters.

Highlighting that the obstruction of sewerage system construction due to such settlements along the riverbanks has made the valley’s rivers foul-smelling, he stated that this relocation would ease Kathmandu’s sewerage system. He made it clear that those in hazardous situations along the banks of Thapathali, Gaurighat, Manohara, and other rivers in Kathmandu are being relocated safely, without the use of force, and with due regard for humanitarian concerns.

Prime Minister Shah also recalled the promise he made as a candidate in Jhapa, the commitments written in the Rastriya Swatantra Party’s election manifesto, and the pledges under ‘100 Must-Do Tasks of the Government’ — namely, squatter management (Point 91) and preventing the encroachment and occupation of government land (Point 92). “We have not forgotten those promises. We are making internal preparations to fulfill them,” he stated.

Acknowledging that beyond the riverbank dwellers of Kathmandu, there are hundreds of thousands of squatters across the country facing different kinds of problems, he said, “We are in the government; we will certainly distinguish the encroachers from the genuine squatters. We will complete the process and distribute land as soon as possible to the genuine squatters across the country.” He expressed confidence that this government would deliver a lasting solution to this decades-old problem. “Rest assured,” Prime Minister Shah concluded his post.