KATHMANDU: Heavy rainfall has worsened living conditions for landless families taking shelter at the Radhaswami Holding Centre in Kirtipur, where floodwater has entered temporary tents, leaving dozens of displaced residents struggling amid growing uncertainty over government relief.
The holding centre, located in an area frequently inundated by flooding from the Bishnumati River, remains at high risk during the monsoon. Following heavy rainfall on Saturday, water entered the tents housing 67 displaced families, affecting 167 people who have been sleeping on the ground.
According to volunteer Gyanendra Karki, the camp includes a postpartum mother, four children under the age of one, and several elderly residents.
“They were initially brought here for only 15 days, but it has now been more than two months,” Karki said. “The government has yet to make proper arrangements, while many of the displaced families refuse to move elsewhere until a permanent solution is guaranteed.”
The government has urged the families to relocate temporarily to safer locations, but residents say they will not leave without assurances of long-term resettlement.
The situation has become more contentious after authorities posted a notice at the holding centre directing residents to submit their bank account details by July 8 in order to receive government relief.
Under the notice, only those who provide their bank account information by the deadline will receive the one-time housing assistance of Rs 25,000. The government had earlier also announced monthly support of Rs 15,000 for up to three months for displaced families.
However, the squatters have refused to comply with the condition, arguing that the financial assistance is being used to persuade them to leave without guaranteeing permanent housing or land ownership.
They insist they will remain at the site until the government provides a sustainable solution for housing, livelihoods and land rights.
The displaced families have also displayed a public statement outside the holding centre warning that if they are forcibly evicted without proper rehabilitation, they will return to previously demolished settlements, including Thapathali, and rebuild temporary shelters there.
In their demands to the government, the displaced families have called for legal recognition of land ownership for landless Dalits, squatters and unmanaged settlers, an immediate halt to evictions without alternative housing, compensation for losses caused by demolitions, and long-term rehabilitation with secure land tenure.
They have also demanded improved living conditions at the holding centre, including adequate food, healthcare, sanitation and security, as well as special protection for women, children, senior citizens and people with illnesses.
The group further urged the government to stop using what they describe as derogatory terms such as “encroachers” and “land mafia” when referring to displaced communities, and called for an independent investigation into forced evictions and alleged violations of constitutional and human rights.
The residents warned that unless the government provides legally guaranteed land ownership, fair compensation and a permanent resettlement plan, they will be compelled to return to the sites where their homes were demolished, saying the state would bear full responsibility for any consequences arising from such action.
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