Squatters Issued Notice to Vacate Holding Center

Kathmandu. A notice has been issued to vacate the Radhaswami Satsang holding center in Kirtipur by tomorrow. The Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee has demanded bank account details of the people there to pay them 25,000 rupees. Victims are angry as the government has pressured them to take the money and manage themselves within five days. Squatters believe the government is trying to get rid of them by offering 25,000 rupees without arranging for proper resettlement. Currently, taking photos and videos inside the holding center is strictly prohibited. Expressing dissatisfaction with the government's approach, they have posted a 'Concern Letter of Victims' outside the Kirtipur holding center. They have warned that if they are forcibly evicted without a proper and permanent alternative, they will be forced to return to their old settlements and build huts. The victims demand that the families displaced by the local government should be immediately listed, verified, and identified, and their problems should be prioritized as the Land Problem Resolution Committee has already been formed. They state that adequate services should be provided at the holding center until permanent management is in place, or a safe place to go should be shown. They have emphasized the need for appropriate permanent management focused on squatters and unmanaged settlements as mentioned in the government's policies and programs. They have warned through the concern letter that if they are forcibly removed from the holding center without a permanent alternative, they will return to their original settlement and live there. (Suryaams Upreti/Nepal Photo Library)