The government has stopped providing food to displaced squatters living in the holding center at the Nepal Red Cross Society's training center in Budol, Banepa Municipality-6, for 14 days.

They have been living in the holding center for three months and are now forced to survive on dalmoth, chiura and loans. Mina Majhi, 51, who has been living in the holding center since Asad 22, said that the government has stopped providing food. According to her, initially the government had provided tea and biscuits in the morning, meals in the morning and evening, and snacks in the afternoon. 'Right now, we have no food arrangements,' Majhi said, 'We are spending our days eating dalmoth, chiura, and sometimes roti. There is no money, we have to borrow money. We are not even in a position to earn money.'

According to Majhi, who is from Morang and previously lived in the Manahara slum in Kathmandu, about 15 families are currently living in the holding center. She said that since the food was stopped, it has become more difficult to survive.

A woman told Kantipur that the government is pressuring them to leave. On condition of anonymity, she said, “Those who can make arrangements have left, those who can’t are here. But we are also being pressured to leave.” The woman said that she had recently had to send her daughter to a relative for education. “My husband works in a garment factory, and he lives there. The money given by the government was enough to enroll my daughter, but for me, there is no other place to live than here,” the woman said.

When Kantipur inquired a week ago, the empowered Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee had said that the Banepa Holding Center had been vacated. But on Monday, when the displaced people living in Banepa along with some activists reached the Bagmati Civilization office, the employees were surprised. According to activist Bhagwati Adhikari, who has been raising her voice for justice for the displaced squatters, they had been feeding the squatters with their own money for a week. 'Our friends went to Banepa with the displaced saying, "This is not right, the government should be held responsible." The employees there were shocked to hear that you were still in Banepa. And they started making a list," Bhagwati said. 'After that, they also pressured those who remained there to leave.'

According to Khagendra Bista, a sociologist at the powerful Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee under the Ministry of Urban Development, as per the decision made by the Council of Ministers, a lump sum of Rs 25,000 in relief and house rent for three months has been provided to the displaced for the purpose of rehabilitating them in society. The first notice to vacate the holding center was issued on Asad 9 to implement this decision. After the collection of the necessary applications for relief was not completed, the time was extended to Asad 19.

According to Bista, relief applications from the displaced were collected by mobilizing employees in all the holding centers by Asad 19. After that, notices were given to vacate the holding centers through both written and verbal means, and as per the instructions, the food arrangements there were also removed from Asad 22.