Prime Minister Balen Shah Assures No Citizen Will Be Displaced

Kathmandu. While fear is spreading due to the removal of slum settlements on riverbanks and government lands in the Kathmandu Valley, Prime Minister Balen Shah has stated that the government has no intention of displacing citizens and no one will become homeless. 

Issuing a message on social media Facebook, he urged everyone not to fall for such unconfirmed information and confusion, stating that the management process being carried out by the government in accordance with the law in areas where government land has been encroached upon is causing planned fear among citizens.

Balen clarified that the recent steps taken by the government are focused on ensuring the housing rights of the landless rather than pushing them onto the streets. He informed that the government has repealed some sections of the Land Act, 2021, which were hindering the long-term solution to this problem, through an ordinance. 

With the legal hurdles removed, he stated that the government has already started the process of digital data collection, verification of details, and preparation of records based on clear criteria to identify genuine landless citizens. The government believes that this process will identify the actual situation of the landless and provide a transparent and sustainable solution to the problem.

The government plans to relocate citizens living in unsafe and undesirable places, risking their lives, to safe and organized areas. Regarding other landless citizens, Balen said that the government will make necessary decisions based on the recommendation of the concerned commission and the data currently being collected. He claimed that no one would be subjected to injustice in the name of settlement management.

Prime Minister Balen clarified that all the steps taken by them are aimed at finding a permanent solution to the problem, not at displacing citizens. The message states that the government is fully committed to ensuring safe, dignified, and permanent housing for every landless citizen. 

He requested all concerned not to panic unnecessarily, assuring that no citizen will be rendered homeless.