Chandra Bahadur Baraili of Dhangdhange, Damak Municipality-3, returned home from Saudi Arabia just a few days ago.

He had gone abroad for employment and witnessed the scene of Iran bombing a crude oil factory near the company he worked for up close using a drone. After that horrific incident, the company gave him leave.

Having returned home after saving his life, he is now living in a squatter settlement on the banks of the Dhukure River, south of the 17-story View Tower in Damak. However, after returning to the country, he has had to face another kind of pain.

Chandra Bahadur, who returned after saving his life from the Gulf conflict, is now facing another kind of insecurity in his own country. He is scared after hearing the news that dozers have been used on the instructions of the Prime Minister in squatter settlements along the Bagmati and Manohara Rivers in Kathmandu.

His house is in Jhapa Constituency No. 5, where Prime Minister Balendra Shah recently won the election. He had pressured his family from abroad to vote for Balendra. ‘Even if everyone voted and won,’ he says in a worried tone. ‘But now, I can’t sleep all night because I think the Prime Minister will send a dozer to this side too,’ he says with a worried expression. ‘I am afraid that at some point the entire settlement will be uprooted and driven away.’

The direct fear of the ‘dozer scandal’ in Kathmandu is now also being felt in the squatter settlements of eastern Nepal. Especially, thousands of landless families living on the banks of rivers and canals within Damak Municipality of Jhapa are currently in fear. Will they be evicted with a dozer like in Kathmandu? The fear is now prevalent among the squatter voters of Jhapa-5.

Janaki Tole, Kharkhar, Damak-4. Narrow alleys, tin roofs and rows of mud houses. Rupa Darji, 56, has been living in this village for 22 years. She had come to Jhapa with her small family from Huaku in Tehrathum in search of employment and a secure life.

But even after two decades, her life has never been happy. Instead, it seems that pain has been piling up. Rupa, a mother of four, still goes to the nearby forest to earn her daily living. She avoids the family's troubles by picking blackberries. For the past few days, her body has not been supporting her. She is suffering from a stomach-related illness. It is difficult to raise the medical expenses. 'There is no money for insurance,' she lamented.

She had also heard on the radio that squatter settlements in Kathmandu were being removed. Since then, she has been even more worried. 'I feel scared after hearing the news.' "It's like a panic attack," she says, "I'm afraid of where I'll go if I'm evicted." There are about 100 squatters in her village. Everyone's pain is the same as hers. Budhmaya Bik, 73, has been living in this settlement, located on the banks of the Dhukure River, for 35 years.

She has spent most of her life in this settlement. Her children grew up here, her grandchildren were born here. But she still doesn't have her land papers. "I've lived here all my life, and now I'm afraid of having to move out in my old age," she adds, "Where will I go at this age?"

Damak-1, 7, 13 and 14 also have a large number of squatters. Local representatives and social leaders, however, are opposed to the government's decision to suddenly evict them. According to the land problem resolution agency, there are more than 6,000 landless people in the Damak region.
According to Damak Municipality Mayor Ram Thapa, ‘Nissa’ (identity papers) have been distributed to about 6,400 squatters. ‘The survey has been completed in some wards, while it is still ongoing in other wards,’ he said.

The District Administration Office, Jhapa, on Monday sent a directive letter to all 15 towns and rural municipalities, including Damak, to disclose and send the details of squatters. The District Police Office had instructed its subordinate police offices to send the details of squatters ‘within 30 minutes.’ Mayor Thapa expressed his anger, saying, ‘The administration has suddenly issued an order without any discussion, this is unacceptable.’

There is a ‘model settlement’ in the valley of Ratuwa Khola located in Damak-1 and 7. Where 38 families of squatters are dependent. Based on the number of families, two to four-room pucca houses have been provided. A model settlement was established in 2077 BS at a total cost of Rs 43.5 million, including Rs 6.5 million from the Damak Municipality, Rs 1.3 million from the provincial government, and Rs 1.4 million from the union. There are 23 families living in this settlement.