KATHMANDU: Landless families staying at various holding centers have said they will not leave Kathmandu unless the government guarantees access to education, healthcare, and employment.
The statement came after the government moved ahead with plans to resettle families displaced from riverbanks in the Kathmandu Valley to locations corresponding to the permanent addresses listed on their citizenship certificates.
Demonstrating at Maitighar on Thursday, the protesters said they would struggle to find employment outside Kathmandu and feared relocation without livelihood opportunities would make it difficult to sustain their families.
They said they are willing to relocate anywhere in the country if the government first ensures access to education, healthcare, and jobs.
The protest, organized under the leadership of the Citizen Rescue Grand Campaign and the Landless Squatters Adjustment Committee, also called on the government to expedite the identification, verification, and permanent settlement of landless families.
The demonstrators further demanded that eligible families be provided land ownership certificates in accordance with the law and that their right to live with dignity be protected.
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