Kathmandu – Sixty-eight families from the Thapathali squatter settlement have come into contact with the government. According to the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, out of the 143 squatter families in Thapathali, these 68 families have registered their presence so far.
The government is continuing its efforts to clear settlements built along riverbanks and on risky public and government land in the Kathmandu Valley.
As part of this initiative, the settlement in Thapathali located in Ward No. 11 of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been vacated. The clearing operation is also underway in Gairigaun located in Ward No. 9 and Shantinagar in Ward No. 31.
Preparations are being made to evacuate unauthorized settlements in Gothatar, Buddha Chowk of Ward No. 8, and Manohara Tole of Ward No. 9 in Kageshwari Manohara Municipality.
According to the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, there are a total of 871 families in these areas: 476 in Shantinagar, 162 in Gairigaun, 143 in Thapathali, 77 in Gothatar, and 13 in Manohara Tole. Currently, 68 families residing in Thapathali have come into contact with the government, and families from other areas are also gradually reaching out.
Those families who have established contact have been transported to Dasharath Stadium, where their details are being collected. Plans are in place to accommodate them in various hotels across Kathmandu.
For the time being, their household belongings have been securely stored at Radhaswami Satsang Byas Nepal in Sundarighat, Kirtipur, with separate spaces allocated for them. These families will also be relocated to the hotels soon.
Starting tomorrow, efforts will commence to identify whether all the families being accommodated in the hotels are genuine squatters. The government plans to relocate those verified as genuine squatters within two weeks to government apartments in Ward No. 1 of Nagarjun Municipality and other safe locations.
