Kathmandu, January 21

Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has issued a circular to all local levels, directing them to submit proposals for relocating vulnerable settlement and developing integrated settlement, based on decision taken by the Local Disaster Management Committee.

Environment and Disaster Management Section at the MoFAGA wrote to local levels yesterday after some of them sent proposals to the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, directly without the decision and recommendation of the concerned LDMC. Section Officer Bishnuhari Baral said local levels were required to send proposals for relocation of vulnerable settlement and integrated settlement as decided by the LDMC.

“A local level may not submit a proposal to the DoUDBC directly.

Decision and recommendation of LDMC is a prerequisite for relocation of vulnerable settlement and integrated settlement,” the circular read. Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had suggested MoFAGA that a local level was required to abide by the ‘Procedure for Relocation of Vulnerable Settlement and Integrated Settlement’ to relocate disaster-prone settlements to safer place and establish integrated settlements. According to the procedure, vulnerable settlement may be relocated in a single or different places as per necessity, ensuring that they have minimum infrastructure and facilities.

Stages of settlement relocation involve land acquisition and infrastructure development.

“There shall be participation of at least 25 households for integrated settlement. While carrying out relocation after development of integrated settlement, income-generating programmes shall be conducted for livelihood of the relocated families, in association with the provincial government, local level, and government and non-government agencies,” it read. The livelihood programmes will attach special priority to households with single women, children, senior citizens and differently-abled and disadvantaged persons.

According to the procedure, integrated settlement will have access road, transportation, electricity, sewerage, sanitation and other basic services and facilities along with open space on the basis of population. No immovable property, including land of the integrated settlement may be changed and fragmented in any form for a period of two years from the date of relocation of the concerned families, according to the procedure.

The Ministry of Urban Development shall request the Ministry of Finance for budget as estimated by the DoUDBC for implementation of relocation and integrated settlement development plan.