Successful clearance of encroached public land yields manifold benefits. It should, however, be carried out with great caution as it could lead to the downfall of those in power like Napoleon III or Indira Gandhi if executed otherwise
The national media has been virtually flooded by the government's nationwide clearance of encroached public land. It began with the removal of settlements at Thapathali as well as Gairigaon ending in Manohara in the capital. The removal was peaceful barring a few violent incidents in Manohara. People have been primarily relocated to holding centres such as Radha Swami Satasang Centre in Kirtipur with food and accommodation amid assurance of granting land to genuine landless people. Government action has now spilled outside the capital to Butwal, Nuwakot, Birgunj, and Prasauni Rural Municipality, where landless squatters occupy public land.
The constitution of Nepal has provided for a decent shelter to all its citizens. Accordingly, land ownership certificate was distributed to landless persons right from the year 1957. Later in 1964, land reform was introduced, following which land seized beyond the land ceiling was distributed to the poor. At the formal level, however, a land commission was formed in 1967. After restoration of multi-party polity in 1990, 19 commissions have been formed to distribute land to the landless. Many landless families have obtained the land, but this problem has not been solved in its totality.
This problem continues because of regularly occurring disasters like floods, landslides, and earthquakes, following which the victims had to take resort to encroaching marginal lands in the cities. The People's War launched by the Maoists in the 1990s further aggravated this phenomenon. People also take shelter in such places after coming to the cities looking for employment and educational opportunities, which are comparatively scarce in the countryside.
The Maoist government under the premiership of Babu Ram Bhattarai, with its tail up following massive people's support in the Constituent Assembly election in 2008, also initiated such action by seeking to clear the encroached riverside at Thapathali. It had even constructed houses for those displaced landless people in Ichangu Narayan. But it was not successful as they resisted heavily, and the government had to stall the action, allowing the slum dwellers to eventually return. Bhattarai was however successful in the road extension programme. Many of the wider roads that the people have been enjoying now is primarily due to him.
Such clearance campaigns have been undertaken in the past in other countries as well but mostly ending in failure. The demolition of old neighbourhoods was carried out by Napoleon III with the support of Georges Eugene Haussman, an engineer, in the middle of the 19th century. It beautified Paris with the creation of wide streets, boulevards, and buildings with uniform facades. But it displaced thousands of people, causing financial strain which fueled political opposition. Though his downfall was triggered by defeat in the Prussian war, the evacuation of people had played a prime role in this political mishap.
In India, during the controversial emergency clamped by Indira Gandhi in the mid-seventies, her son Sanjaya Gandhi went on a slum clearance spree, bringing inconvenience to thousands of people in Delhi. It led to her dismal defeat in the following election, catapulting the opposition Janata Party to power.
The government has been planning to resettle the genuinely landless people in the Ichangu Narayan apartment. Such interventions have, however, been far from satisfactory. A comparative study has been made of the slum dwellers relocated to a multi-story apartment in Bhopal, India. It was found that they were happy in the slum compared to the apartment or the transitional shelters. It is thus clear that slum management is mostly like a wicked problem which cannot be solved very easily.
It is however not that slum clearance has always ended in a fiasco. There are also some successful stories. It was effectively managed in Kalaburga city of Karanataka in India, where they found a suitable land for relocation. Another successful story is that of the Bombay Resettlement Project where the slum dwellers were provided with a one-room apartment along with a kitchen, toilet, and bathroom in a multi-storied building constructed on encroached land. But it needs a lot of preparation in advance. Unfortunately, the government appears to have taken a hasty step without making adequate preparation.
The successful management of street vendors brought a heap of praise to then mayor of Kathmandu Balen Shah. It was primarily responsible for the landslide victory that catapulted him to the dizzy height of premiership along with near-to two-thirds majority to his party.
He had, however, been unable to clear the encroached land allegedly due to lack of support from the then government while as mayor. It is no wonder then that he immediately undertook this initiative after being the prime minister of the country. He must be naturally dreaming of similar conquests in the forthcoming local election, now only less than two years away.
A successful clearance of encroached public lands yields manifold benefits. On one hand, the city becomes enjoyable to live in due to the creation of a beautiful riverside. On the other, it prevents forthcoming disasters like floods, which are just round the corner in view of the monsoon already knocking at the door. It should, however, be carried out with great caution as it could lead to the downfall of those in power like Napoleon III or Indira Gandhi if executed otherwise.