KATHMANDU, Sept 17: Five months after being removed from squatter settlements in the Kathmandu Valley, 102 families remain in government-run holding centers with no clear timeline for when they can leave.
The families are currently staying at three holding centers in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur after being displaced from settlements along the riverbanks. Officials say the government has yet to determine when they can be permanently relocated or provided with land.
According to Macha Kaji Maharjan, member secretary of the High-Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization under the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the 102 families are staying at an apartment complex in Ichangu Narayan, the Central Training Institute of the Agriculture Development Bank in Bode and the Nepal Electricity Authority’s training center in Kharipati.
“There is still no decision on how long they will stay at the holding centers,” Maharjan said. “We have asked those without land and genuine squatters to fill out forms and have started the process.”
Govt clears Nagarkot, Bode holding centers
An official at the committee said there is no certainty about when genuine squatters will receive land or when they will be able to leave the holding centers.
“They may have to stay at the holding centers until the government provides them with the necessary land,” the official said. “However, they cannot stay there indefinitely. There has to be a time limit.”
Another committee official said the government is caught between the challenge of providing land to the displaced families and determining how long it can continue housing them at the holding centers.
The government has also been providing food to the families staying at the holding centers, with tens of millions of rupees already spent for the purpose.
Maharjan said 2,608 squatter families were removed during the clearance of squatter settlements along riverbanks in the Kathmandu Valley. Of them, 1,819 families have received Rs 25,000 each from the government. Those not staying at holding centers have also been receiving Rs 15,000 per family per month.
The government cleared 19 squatter settlements in April, temporarily relocating 388 families to holding centers in Nagarkot, Banepa, Kirtipur, Bode, Kharipati, various hotels in Balaju and Ichangu Narayan. The government later began vacating the holding centers, leaving 102 families at the three remaining centers.
The government has formed the Landless Problem Settlement Commission to address the issue in the long term and has announced plans to distribute land ownership certificates to genuine squatters within 600 days.
During the clearance campaign, 2,687 houses and structures were demolished, including 890 permanent and 1,797 temporary structures.
According to the District Administration Office, Kathmandu, 15,316 people were displaced from the settlements. They included 6,858 men, 5,325 women, 1,437 boys and 1,696 girls.
The government has allocated Rs 3 billion for fiscal year 2026/27 for programs including parks and green spaces, corridor expansion, river control and improvements to drainage systems in the areas cleared of squatter settlements.
