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Demolition of squatter colonies commences
Added At: 2012-05-08 1:02 PM
Last Updated At: 2012-05-08 1:12 PM
THT ONLINE
KATHMANDU: Demolition of squatter colonies has started in an unprecedented manner from today under the Baburam Bhattarai administration.
Large numbers of police personnel have been deployed to evacuate shanties on the banks of Bagmati River in Thapathali of Kathmandu.
Bulldozers are demolishing the hovels and huts with the use of force.
Around 3000 police personnel from Civil Police and Armed Police Force have been mobilised since the Tuesday’s pre-dawn darkness to carry out the demolition drive.
Though the government has decided to provide Rs 15,000 to each household of genuine squatters as the immediate relief, a crowd of hundreds of squatters had clashed with the police personnel before the demolition commenced.
Squatters blocked the police by pelting stones at them. They were heard ranting words against anti-squatters plans and policies of the incumbent government.
Though the initiatives to drive away squatters from encroached land and rehabilitate them started three years ago, but no move was that effective.
About the rehabilitation of squatters, the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) has purchased about eight ropani of land at Ichangu Narayan Village Development Committee in Kathmandu to resettle the genuine squatters. The government also allocated Rs 30 million in the current fiscal as in the previous years for the construction of apartments for the squatters.
Despite all these initiatives, the squatters await for a place they can call their home.
(A girl leaving her abode with her belongings following the demolition of squatter colonies in Thapathali on Tuesday May 8, 2012)
All photos are by THT photographer Bal Krishna Thapa
Comments5
Posted on: 2012-05-09 15:31:58
It's a matter of utmost shame and humilating for the government to provide such kind of untoward's incident. The question is who had encouraged these squatters to settle on the bank side of Bagmati. Why wasn't it explain to them then that this is not the correct place for settlement, or was it politically correct for these squatters to settle then..? Please stop pulling the small girl...Please imagine the kind of trauma or mindset she might develop growing as a girl and then an adult. This kind of treatment may nourish bad elements to the society. Let us give our future generation a calm and healthy enviroment, so they lead a better life then us, and not a cursed as ours. "MIGHTY MIGHT MAITI" are you listening pls 'shout Abhishek Das, Nepal
Posted on: 2012-05-09 11:01:16
Atleast there should be notice to take out their belongings before demolishing their houses.How will the kids survive now?? No food, no house,nothing...Everything is gone.What will be their future??? Sunita Shrestha, Kathmandu
Posted on: 2012-05-08 23:20:57
the girl crying does not justify encroaching public land even if one is real squatter. the only way for these squatters is to vacate the public land and arrange to live in rent, work hard and save to arrange own housing as most nepalese have been doing generation after generation. there is no such thing as free land even if you do not posses any land. des, kathmandu
Posted on: 2012-05-08 13:35:17
Good work is being done by PM Baburam Bhattarai, people's Government !!! He might have seen crying poor children/women !! Let time come, these poor people will teach you a Lesson !! Dear Mr. PM, you should have arranged alternate residences before this act...its a shame.... Ghanshyam Thakur, New Delhi
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Posted on: 2012-05-09 18:17:27
this is really daring act done by the government.they should have done this long time ago. what happens if they go on occupying pulblic land ,it would be quite unfair to those people who stands on thier own, to those who struggle very hard for their existence. however gunuine sqatters should be rehabilitated. laxman gurung, kathmandu