BUTWAL, May 18: Anger among landless and informal settlers is mounting after protesters in Butwal warned of stronger nationwide protests if the government continues clearing settlements without providing alternative housing arrangements.
Defying scorching heat, hundreds of demonstrators poured onto the streets on Sunday, accusing the government of pushing vulnerable communities into fear and uncertainty through ongoing bulldozer operations in squatter settlements.
The protest, organized by the Rupandehi chapter of the Nepal Landless Squatters and Informal Settlers Struggle Committee, echoed with slogans such as “Guarantee food and shelter", “Stop bulldozer terror", and “Let the poor live".
Marching from Rajmarg Chauraha to Traffic Chowk, protesters later held a corner meeting where leaders warned that resistance would intensify if evictions continued without rehabilitation plans.
Speakers at the gathering said demolishing settlements without long-term alternatives was unjust and inhumane, arguing that the state was ignoring the basic rights of poor citizens.
Rupandehi Struggle Committee coordinator Khagendra Paudel accused the government of treating its own people unfairly.
International Tribunal on Evictions calls for action as forced...
“The state is trying to displace poor families by destroying their homes without any long-term plan or alternative,” Paudel said. “That is why we have been forced to launch protests.”
According to him, nearly 1.2 million families across the country could be affected by plans to remove settlements without proper relocation measures.
“If the government does not stop its repressive approach, the movement will become even stronger,” he warned.
Another committee leader, Birendra BK, claimed that under the pretext of protecting public land, the government was targeting poor and vulnerable communities already struggling with inflation and unemployment.
“At a time when people are already burdened by rising prices and joblessness, bulldozer operations in poor settlements have only spread fear,” he said. “The government should focus on providing jobs and relief instead of displacing the poor.”
BK also said the state had failed to legalize settlements where people have been living for decades.
Another leader, Narendra Darji, criticized the government for collecting taxes from settlers for years while failing to provide them with land ownership certificates.
“We are not asking the state to feed us,” he said. “We are surviving through our own hard work. But as citizens of this country, we deserve to live with dignity.”
Speaking at the program, Bagmati Province representative Liza Rai warned that leaders elected through the votes of poor citizens would lose their moral authority if bulldozer operations continued.
“Governments survive because of the people,” she said. “No government can sustain itself after losing public support.”
Another representative, Raju Shahi, accused the government of unleashing “bulldozer terror” against the very citizens who helped bring it to power. He also claimed that squatters in Kathmandu had been deprived of basic rights such as education and healthcare.
Organizers said landless and informal settlers from 22 districts, including Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Nawalparasi, Dang, Banke and Bardiya, participated in the protest.
Meanwhile, a national conference of landless and informal settlers is scheduled to be held in Butwal on Monday to formulate future protest strategies and form a broader national alliance.
Landless settlers and informal residents have been staging protests across the country since May 7, demanding that the government halt evictions without alternative arrangements. Tensions have risen sharply following recent bulldozer operations in informal settlements in Kathmandu.
