After the metered fare victims started their protest march towards Kathmandu, the government has decided to immediately implement the reports of all the previously formed commissions. The decision to implement the report was taken by the Cabinet meeting immediately after Home Minister Sudhan Gurung held discussions with the metered fare victims who were on a walk from Janakpurdham to Kathmandu in Nijgadh, Bara on Tuesday. 

Home Minister Gurung had reached Nijgadh, Bara on Tuesday morning to meet the metered fare victims who were on a walk. He held discussions with the victims for about 6 hours in two phases. During the discussions that lasted for about five hours in the morning, Minister Gurung spent most of the time listening to the victims' complaints. After that, he went to Simara and came back to Nijgadh around 8:30 pm and held talks with the metered fare victims for about an hour. Since no agreement could be reached, it has been decided to hold talks again on Wednesday afternoon. 

Shyam Kumari Thakur, 32, of Dhanushadham-2 Mangalpur, could not hold back her tears as soon as she saw Home Minister Gurung at the Nijgadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry hall on Tuesday morning. She broke down as she tried to express the pain of being trapped by a moneylender's debt, the murder of her husband due to it, and having to flee the village. 'Even after paying the loan, they killed her husband, and we are no longer able to live in the village. Where will the government go now?' Shyam Kumari told the Home Minister, 'They took away the land. Now I have no choice.'

Shyam Kumari has two daughters. The eldest, Simran, is studying in class 4 and the younger, Samjhana, is in class 3. Shyam Kumari's husband, Bhojendra Thakur, had taken a loan of Rs 350,000 from Shivaji Yadav of the village in Bhadra 2068.

For that, 2 kathas of land were given in the name of Yadav at that time. There was a verbal agreement to return it later. Shyamkumari claims that Bhojendra sold 9 acres of land in the village and returned 9 lakhs in 2072 BS. But she said that Yadav did not return the land because he had not paid a single penny.

Bhojendra had a small furniture business at home. He had taken a loan to start that business. On 14 Shrawan 2081 BS, Shyamkumari was observing Monday fast. She was staying at home during the fast without going anywhere. While her husband was also staying at home, 9/10 people came and attacked Bhojendra with rods. He collapsed on the spot. Shyamkumari was also attacked. Bhojendra died in the incident. Shyamkumari was admitted to the hospital. She had suffered serious head injuries. ‘When I regained consciousness, my husband had already been cremated,’ said Shyamkumari. ‘Due to the loan, my life support was cut off. Now I am homeless.’

She filed a case of negligence against 7 people including Sahu Yadav. They all absconded. Yadav appeared in court two months later. The court ordered him to be remanded in custody for trial. He then went to jail. A few months later, Shyam Kumari said, he was released on the orders of the High Court. After Yadav's release from the court, she has been living with her two daughters in a tent in Dharapani, Dhanusha. She says that she is unable to stay at home due to fear.

About 200 people like Shyam Kumari, who have been unable to bear the high interest rates and the pain of living in poverty, have set out on a road march towards the capital in search of justice. The 'Walking Justice March', which started from Janakpur on Ashar 25, reached Bara on Monday. The only goal of this journey is to reach Kathmandu and tell their pain to Singha Durbar again and get freedom from years of exploitation. They are adamant that they will not return home until a written agreement is reached to address their demands.

Amidst the torrential rains of Ashar, muddy roads and the risk of being hit by vehicles, victims of metered fares are measuring the highway barefoot. Many have swollen feet, some have started getting sores on their feet. But this physical pain is less than the threats from the moneylenders and the administrative hassles they have received from the state machinery, said Pula Khatun, a 62-year-old meter-billing victim from Rautahat.

Umesh Agrawal of Gaur-1 did not return the 1 katta 3.5 dhur land in Khatun's name after it was passed. "I had taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh from Agrawal, I have already paid Rs 8 lakh. But the moneylender did not return the land. Instead, he is telling me to vacate the house," she said.

During the meeting with Home Minister Gurung, most of the victims complained that they were further victimized by the police administration and the courts. They were saddened by the behavior of the Chief District Officer and the District Police Chief (SP/DSP) who were making them suffer even more. They expressed anger that no swift action was taken on the complaints filed at the District Administration Office. They also complained to the Home Minister that in some places, the police interrogated the victims under pressure from the moneylenders and forced them to accept the terms of the moneylenders in the name of reconciliation.

While listening to the tragic stories of the victims, Home Minister Gurung tried to console them from time to time. He claimed that the government was on the side of the victims and said, "The government understands your pain. We are making every effort to provide justice."

Home Minister Gurung also tried to explain to the victims about some of the practical and administrative obstacles in the implementation of the laws made to control metered rates. Stating that it is necessary to make a strong law related to metered rates, he assured that the government's attention would be focused on providing justice to the victims.

Home Minister Gurung instructed the Chief District Officer and police officers not to harass the victims. He also consulted the Prime Minister over the telephone about the demands of the metered rates victims.

The reports that the government has said it will implement have been prepared by the commissions formed under the leadership of Gauri Bahadur Karki, Tej Bahadur Karki and Baburam Regmi. The reports of all three commissions have not been made public yet. Meter-billing victims have been demanding that the reports of all three commissions be made public immediately.

Meter-billing victim activist Laxmi Ghimire said that she has six demands from the government, including the abolition of fake tamasuks, sight-bindings, registrations and checks related to meter-billing, effective legislation, the formation of a special tribunal and the implementation of past agreements. Although the government has promised to solve the meter-billing problem by forming various commissions and committees in the past, the victims complain that the tyranny and exploitation of moneylenders in the villages has not stopped.

After listening to the complaints of the meter-billing victims, Home Minister Gurung headed for Simara in Bara. Informing that high-level discussions are underway at the Prime Minister's Office, he said that he would hold talks after a conclusion is reached from there. Within hours of the Home Minister hearing the complaints of the meter-billing victims, the Cabinet decided to make the reports of the three commissions public and take them to the implementation process. The victims have welcomed the decision of the Cabinet.

Nirga Naveen, coordinator of the United People's Rights Front Nepal, which is participating in the meter-billing victims' movement, thanked the government for the decision to make the reports public and implement them. 'Now we will sit in talks with the Home Minister,' he said, 'We are not going to accept just what he says. We do not know what is in the report. We have six-point demands. There must be agreement on each point, otherwise the march on foot will proceed.'

A leader close to Home Minister Gurung said that he plans to return after addressing the demands of the meter-billing victims. He also informed that a hotel has been booked for him in Simara for three days from Tuesday. The meter-billing victims had started the justice march on foot from Tirhutiya Gachhi in Janakpurdham. Although they planned to reach Pathlaiya in Bara on Tuesday, they have stopped in Nijgadh after the Home Minister was said to be coming. The Kisan-Majdur Andolan Committee against Meter Bid has made arrangements for food and accommodation for them in each district.

The Chief District Officer has the authority to hear complaints between the victim and the moneylender, arrange for a settlement, and if there is no agreement, refer them to the police for criminal proceedings. The police have a provision to investigate such complaints, arrest them, and take legal action. But most of the victims lack evidence, said Mahottari Chief District Officer Indradev Yadav.

‘In the case of meter bid victims, there is a legal provision to file a fraud case against the moneylenders based on sufficient evidence. We have a complaint system. But the moneylenders have legally strong Kapali Tamsuk, Vishnuphat or checks. There are legal complications in easily invalidating those documents outside the court process,’ he said, ‘We are trying to settle. No matter how many victims come forward, they have no evidence to file a fraud case. How can we prosecute without evidence?’

He says that the meter interest victims have not been able to get justice because the evidence is not strong. Pradya Yadav informed that 10,000 cases related to meter interest have been registered in Mahottari alone. He said that even now, 8/10 applications are received daily.