KATHMANDU: Thousands of people have been displaced after the government intensified its campaign to clear squatter settlements across the Kathmandu Valley.
The eviction drive, which began in Thapathali on April 25, left many families homeless after authorities arrived early in the morning with bulldozers and security personnel, giving residents only three days to vacate.
While some residents had already fled, those with nowhere to go have been relocated to temporary holding shelters and lodges.
The operation continued until Friday night, before the Supreme Court issued an interim order in favour of the squatters.
According to data from the District Administration Office, a total of 19 settlements have so far been cleared under the campaign.
Authorities say 2,687 houses and huts were removed during the operation, including 890 concrete structures and 1,797 temporary shelters.
The campaign has displaced around 15,300 people, including 6,858 men, 5,325 women, 1,437 boys, and 1,696 girls.
The government has assigned responsibility for managing displaced residents living along riverbanks to the Ministry of Urban Development, with the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) and the High-Powered Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee playing key roles.
The KVDA has been involved in implementing urban development plans in the valley, including land pooling, sewage and waste management, green parks, drinking water systems, and protection of public land.
A KVDA employee claimed that the authority has brought around 5,000 ropanis of encroached land under protection over the past five years.
“We act after receiving official notices from the Land Revenue Office regarding encroached land,” the official said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The official also alleged that political interference had previously halted similar eviction attempts in Thapathali.
“We had earlier planned to issue a 35-day notice for Thapathali, but we would receive calls from Congress leader Prakash Man Singh asking us not to proceed there,” the source claimed.
According to the same official, preparations had also been made to remove the Thapathali settlement following the Gen-Z protests.
“When Kulman Ghising became minister, he also tried to move the process forward. We had even prepared bulldozers, but the plan was stopped at the last moment,” he said, without clarifying who halted the operation.
Meanwhile, the government also bulldozed parts of a seven-storey building belonging to Indra Chamling in the Dhobikhola settlement area of Anamnagar, Kathmandu Metropolitan City-10.
Authorities accused Chamling of constructing the building beyond the approved design.
“The building map was approved for only five storeys, but construction reached seven storeys,” Ward Chair Ram Kumar KC said during the demolition on Sunday.
According to the ward office, attempts had been made to stop construction as early as 2076 BS, but the move failed due to lack of support from the administration and municipal police.
Chamling, however, claimed that he had followed all legal procedures and regularly paid taxes.
“I built this house after obtaining map approval from the ward office five years ago. Suddenly, bulldozers were brought in,” he said during the demolition.
Around 140 permanent and temporary structures in the area were demolished.
Some local residents appeared supportive of the demolition. One elderly woman from the area said, “Chamling wouldn’t even allow people to cut grass near the river. What happened to him is justified.”
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