Squatters Angry at Government Over Eviction Notice

Bhaktapur. Squatters taking shelter at the holding center in Kharipati, Changunarayan Municipality-7 are angry at the government. They are angry after being warned to vacate the holding center.

Maima Rai, 69, who has been living in the holding center, previously lived in the squatter settlement in Balkhu. Her house was demolished when the squatter settlement in Balkhu was bulldozed on Baishakh 18. After the house she built with a loan was demolished, her small family was scattered.

Maima, a single woman, spent difficult days at the Kharipati holding center. Her son and daughter rented rooms and stayed outside, leaving her without support. Moreover, the government notice to vacate the holding center has increased her stress.

“We were thrown out of our homes and pushed onto the streets. Now there is no option but to die,” Maima said, “The government tells us to get out, but we are ready to take bullets, we will not leave the holding center.”

There are 207 squatters like Maima at the Nepal Electricity Authority training center in Kharipati, Bhaktapur. They are experiencing restlessness and stress. The 98 families taking shelter in this temporary holding center are living in fear of being displaced.

Mina Basnet, 70, has lost her hearing. As the bulldozer ran over her shack in Balkhu, she had just said, “I will take out my belongings,” when the police beat her. She said that she completely lost her hearing after being beaten at that time. “I haven’t had my ear treated even for a day since reaching the shelter of the holding center,” she said, “I have to take medication for gas.”

The squatters kept in Kharipati, Bhaktapur, have become angry after the government gave them an ultimatum to leave. Among those kept here, 33 students used to study at Balmiki Basic School in Bagishwari, Changunarayan Municipality-7. Further confusion has arisen as the school bus has not come to pick up the students since Thursday.

Squatters complain that although the government made temporary arrangements for them to stay, it has not provided a permanent solution. They complain that the government is pressuring them to vacate the center by saying, “Find a room and go, arrange it yourself.” Pregnant women, the sick, and children taking shelter in the center are the most at risk.

“We are not staying here by choice. The government kept us here with the assurance of giving us land ownership documents. Now it is trying to evade responsibility,” said Pawan Gurung, who is in the holding center, “Where will we go in such a situation?”

Rajkumar BK, who says he has fluid in his lungs, complained that he has not received treatment. Accusing the government of trying to forcibly evict squatters without managing them, they are adamant about not leaving the holding center. They say they are ready to take bullets if the government uses force.

After the shack in Balkhu was demolished by a bulldozer, this shelter provided by the government became the last resort for Maya Ghising. They say that when the government suddenly pressured them to leave, they felt like they had been pushed to zero all at once.

According to Maya, the education of the children living in the center has completely stopped. She complains that the government has snatched away their environment for studying.

Maya clearly states that they will not go anywhere from here until the government arranges land ownership documents. “If they try to force us out, we are not ready to leave this place. If we don’t have a home, we don’t care about our lives,” she said.

Most of those taking shelter in the center lamented that landlords refused to give them rooms because they were 'squatters' when they went to look for rooms outside. Some complained that if they did give a room, they asked for double the rent. They say that the 25,000 rupees the government offered will not solve the squatter problem.

Pawan Gurung said that since the government placed them in the holding center, the responsibility of management also lies with the government. “We are not against the government, but if they try to push us onto the streets by making us destitute, we will take to the streets in protest,” he said.