KATHMANDU: Sabina Malla, who had lived in the Thapathali informal settlement in Kathmandu for the past two decades, says her family is now struggling to survive in a cramped hotel room after being displaced by a government eviction drive.
Malla and her family are currently staying at a hotel in Balaju arranged by the government after authorities used bulldozers to clear the settlement. However, she says the conditions have left her family feeling “like prisoners.”
“We are two elderly parents. We have two daughters, one aged 25 and another 18, and a 20-year-old son. My married elder daughter also has a child,” she told Khabarhub. “All of us are living in a single room. Grown-up children are forced to sleep on the same bed. It breaks my heart. One or two nights could be managed, but how long are we supposed to live like this?”
Originally from Rautahat, Malla had come to Kathmandu in search of work while still a teenager. She worked in a carpet factory, where she later married a fellow worker.
Although her husband had citizenship documents from Makwanpur, the family owned no land or property there. According to Malla, employment in Kathmandu became their only means of survival.
After initially living in rented rooms, the family eventually settled in the Thapathali settlement, where they spent the last 20 years raising their children.
Now, following the eviction, Malla says even her young grandchild has no space to play.
“The older children understand the situation and stay quiet. But how do you explain this to a child?” she said. “The child cries out of frustration because there is nowhere to play.”
She also complained that residents are unable to even express their emotions freely inside the crowded hotel environment.
“When children cry, people in neighboring rooms complain that they are being disturbed,” she said. “The government has been so cruel that instead of keeping us confined inside hotel rooms like this, they might as well send us to prison.”
Malla further alleged that the quality of food provided at the hotel has deteriorated over time.
“In the beginning, the food was good. For five days, we felt the government was taking proper care of us,” she said. “But now they are neglecting us. They even served us watery flour mixed as lentil soup and stale food. Even the hotel staff no longer treat us like human beings.”
She also expressed concern over the disruption to her children’s education.
“All other children are going to school. Don’t our children deserve education too?” she asked. “Where are the books, uniforms, and schools? What kind of mental condition are homeless children in? Without arranging these things, why did the government bulldoze our homes?”
Malla said she initially trusted the government and believed Prime Minister Balen Shah would properly rehabilitate displaced families.
“At first, I did not feel that sad when our shelter was demolished because we thought the government would manage things properly,” she said. “The prime minister had said the relocation was also to protect us from floods near the riverbanks. But so many days have passed and nothing has been done for our long-term management.”
According to Malla, prolonged hotel life has become emotionally exhausting for the family.
“You can stay in a hotel for a night or two, but as the days go by, it becomes suffocating,” she said.
She accused the government of making promises to persuade residents to leave peacefully, only to fail in providing proper rehabilitation afterward.
“Previous governments also tried to remove the settlement, but we resisted together and did not allow it,” she said. “This new government showed us hope and dreams. We left our homes peacefully believing them, but nothing has been done for us.”
Now losing trust in the government and unable to continue living in the hotel, Malla said her entire family has begun searching for rented accommodation across the city. However, landlords have reportedly refused to rent to them because of the size of their family.
“If I had known the government would treat us like this, I swear I would have stood in front of the bulldozers and never allowed them to demolish our homes,” she said.
Malla warned that growing frustration among displaced residents could eventually turn into public anger against the government.
“We still believe Balen will do something in the end,” she said. “If it had been another government, we would never have left the settlement. We trusted him and voted for him. We hope the situation does not force us onto the streets protesting against the same leader we once supported.”
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