KATHMANDU: As bulldozers rolled into Devnagar in Anamnagar on Sunday, crowds gathered to watch large structures built on public land being torn down. The demolition, carried out under the leadership of PM Balen Shah, drew thousands of onlookers—including schoolchildren on holiday and elderly residents leaning on walking sticks.
Public opinion in the crowd appeared divided. Some praised the government’s move, saying clearing encroached land was necessary. Others argued that instead of demolishing such large buildings, the state could have taken ownership and repurposed them. A few criticized the approach altogether, claiming the administration seemed to know only how to destroy, not manage.
Among the crowd was 85-year-old Rudramani Kandel from Baglung, currently residing in Ghatttekulo. Holding his wife’s hand to avoid getting lost in the crowd, Kandel expressed concern about the direction of the current government. Despite having voted for the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the last election, he now worries that the trust of voters like him could be betrayed.
Asked about the eviction drive, Kandel said the government risks failure if it cannot properly identify and rehabilitate genuine squatters. “I like Balen, but I don’t agree with putting all squatters in the same category without proper investigation,” he said. He emphasized that those exploiting public land, often referred to as ‘hukumbasi’, have worsened the situation for genuine landless families.
Kandel added that providing food alone is not enough. “They must be properly managed and given land ownership certificates. If that happens, the government will succeed. Otherwise, it will fail like previous ones,” he warned.
He further noted that voters had chosen a new political force hoping for change. “People voted believing this would be different from the old parties. The government must not forget that,” he said.
Similarly, local resident Tek Prasad Chapagain argued that political leaders themselves had encouraged squatters to build homes by repeatedly promising land ownership during elections. “People spent millions building houses based on those assurances. Now everything is gone,” he said.
Chapagain questioned where genuine squatters are supposed to go. “The wealthy had already managed alternatives and left. But where will the real landless go overnight?” he asked. He also stressed that while citizens should not invest heavily in land without legal ownership, the state must still take responsibility for those it had indirectly encouraged.
Another elderly observer, Tek Bahadur Thapa, said he felt deeply saddened watching displaced families, including children and elderly people, suffer. A retired banking professional, Thapa said the demolitions overlooked humanitarian concerns.
“Seeing multi-storey houses collapse like that was disturbing. But this situation was created by old political parties,” he added.
Durga Prasad Adhikari, originally from Ilam and now living in Ghatttekulo, echoed similar sentiments. He blamed traditional parties for allowing the squatter issue to persist for decades for political gain. “The problem should have been addressed long ago. Using squatters for votes brought us here,” he said.
While supporting the idea of clearing riverbanks for urban improvement, Adhikari warned against ignoring the human cost. “It’s not right if this turns into politics over the suffering of the poor. The rich will simply move elsewhere, but the poor are the ones who truly suffer,” he said.
However, not everyone opposed the government’s action. Ram Prasad Sapkota from Sindhuli argued that building houses on public land without legal ownership was a mistake on the part of citizens. “There are laws in this country. People should follow them,” he said, adding that the current situation reflects the risks of ignoring legal processes.
Still, Sapkota acknowledged the emotional toll. “It’s painful to see such large homes reduced to rubble. The government should first provide land to genuine squatters. Only then would such actions feel just,” he said.
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