It has been 41 days since the government started demolishing squatter settlements claiming to vacate encroached land. Pramila Rai, 50, who has been living in Radhaswamy Ashram, Kirtipur since April 12, is still confused. She said that apart from accommodation and food, she is not aware of any concrete plan of the government for their management.

According to Pramila, the employees had reached the land a few days ago with forms to understand about the land. “They have also come to open a bank account now. But when we ask when the management will be done, we get no answer,” she said.

The District Administration Office, Kathmandu, had issued a six-point notice on April 11 directing the vacating of the houses and huts and stated that preparations were being made to arrange proper housing for the certified landless within 10 to 15 days. When Kantipur questioned her about this, Chief District Officer Ishwor Raj Poudel said that they could not say anything at this time.

While answering questions from MPs in Parliament on 17 Jestha, Prime Minister Balendra Shah had urged not to find a solution that has not been found in 35 years in 35 minutes. He had said that it would take time as work was underway to provide land and arrange housing for the squatters. ‘It will take as long as it takes. It cannot be done in a hurry. Let’s not find something that has not been found in 35 years in 35 minutes. It will take some time,’ he had said.

Pramila says that she became more confused after the Prime Minister spoke uncertainly. Her 27-year-old daughter has a liver problem. ‘Her liver has been damaged due to jaundice, the doctor has said that she should be given medicine for two-three years. We could not raise money to give medicine to her daughter. I have begged many people, but no one listens,’ she said.

Pramila has been selling roasted corn for a week in a field near the holding center to raise money for her daughter's medicine. 'I started roasting corn after borrowing Rs 1,000. Otherwise, even if I have to take her to the hospital here, the doctors will not administer the medicine. The patients are stranded. It is very difficult to raise money for medicine even by roasting corn,' she said.

When Balendra was the mayor, the cart was confiscated, when he was the prime minister, the house was destroyed

The government has designated holding centers in 7 places in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Kavre. There are 294 people from 87 families in Machhapokhari Lodge in Balaju, 277 people from 65 families in Radhaswamy Ashram Kirtipur and 355 people from 99 families in the Electricity Training Center in Kharipati, Bhaktapur. There are 115 people in 24 houses at the Agricultural Training Center in Bode, Bhaktapur, 80 people in 21 houses at the Drinking Water Training Center in Nagarkot, 195 people in 45 houses at the Red Cross in Banepa, and 172 people in 47 houses at the Ichangunarayan Apartment.

According to the current data of the empowered Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, 1,488 people from 388 houses are dependent on the holding center. 'Some of them are out for work. Only a limited number of family members are in the holding centers,' said Khagendra Bista, a sociologist with the committee.

A 24-year-old woman at the Drinking Water Training Center in Nagarkot said that they had opened an account at Prabhu Bank. 'Two employees came from Prabhu Bank. Everyone in the settlement opened an account,' she said, 'but nothing has been said when the money will come.' She said that the account was opened for the amount that the government said would be given for three months at the rate of Rs 15,000.'

On April 31, the government had announced that it was preparing to provide a monthly house rent of Rs 15,000 for temporary management until the landownership certificates (Lalpurja) are distributed to the actual squatters. After the meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee under the House of Representatives, committee chairman Hari Dhakal had informed about this.

The woman said that a team of 15-20 people had come to Nagarkot earlier for digital registration and collected detailed information. She also said that the children there are going to the nearby Kalikasthan Secondary School. ‘But apart from that, the staff who come here have not given any other information, saying they do not know,’ she said.

Kumari Lama, 49, who is working at the Red Cross in Banepa, Kavre, expressed concern that her children’s education has not been finalized for so many days. ‘The children have not been admitted to school yet.’ It has been 10-15 days since the office manager took the child's name and asked whether he would put him in a hostel, but there has been no news about the hostel yet,' she said, 'The children's education has deteriorated. My daughter has even started saying that she will not study anymore.' She said that the younger children are being taught by people from the settlement. 'Nothing else has been said. The food is also not good,' she said.

Mithumaya Magar, 67, who is staying at a guest house in Balaju, only knows that she was asked to fill out a form. 'It is only sad to stay here. Even those who want to work have not found work. No one has come to ask for work, food is equally miserable,' she said, 'They do not give fish and meat, they give the same pulses, rice and vegetables in a hurry.'

While presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2083/84 on 15 Jestha, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle had said that the management of landless Dalits, landless squatters and unorganized settlers would be completed within the next fiscal year. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the government is creating a digital profile of squatters. Which includes their health, financial, demographic and biometric details. 'This details are compared with the database of the Land Management Department, squatters who do not have any land anywhere are identified for rehabilitation,' said Vivek Bastola, personal secretary to Minister for Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal.

According to him, the government has decided to provide Rs 25,000 for relocation expenses and Rs 15,000 per month for three months to the identified families, which amount will be deposited directly into the bank account opened in their name. Bastola said that the ministry is currently working on the design of the housing and land planning.

Bheshraj Darji, who was at the holding center in Kirtipur, died 

According to Anand Singh Bhat, the executive committee chairman of the empowered Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, the first phase of digital verification has been carried out through a software with the help of the Ministry of Land Management and the Land Records Authority. ‘The collected details are being entered into the database to find out whether they or their relatives have land in their names and are being sent to the records,’ he said. ‘Clear records of citizenship, paternal and maternal details and other family members are also being collected for the official identification of the squatters.’ He explained that the reason for opening a bank account was to make the relief distribution process easy and transparent.