Parbati Bhandari, Nepal News Bank
Dharna for over 100 days at Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT)
The victims of the Tilganga area have been staging sit-in for the past one hundred days, arguing that the government has done injustice to them in course of implementing the master plan of the Pashupati Area Development Trust.
The victims have been staging a peaceful sit-in demanding implementation of past decisions and agreements.
The victims have demanded the authorities concerned to make arrangements for their settlement and provide necessary support to them.
The government had demolished the houses and tents of the locals living in the Tilganga area on May 1 and 2. Sudarshan Gautam, one of the victims of the sit-in, said that around
one hundred families have been displaced after their settlement was demolished in course of removing the squatters. He said that some have been forced to live in rented accommodation, some in the houses of relatives and some in other places after the house collapsed.
He claimed that they were not squatters but local residents for generations. “After the collapse of our houses, we started being seen as squatters,” he said.
He said that although talks were held with the Pashupati Development Trust at different stages, concrete conclusions have not been reached so far.
They demanded that the Trust should give a clear answer on whether or not to implement the master plan and immediately initiate the rehabilitation process as per the past decisions.
‘We are local residents, not squatters or people who have encroached on government land. We are the local residents,” he said, adding, “Various rounds of decisions were taken between us and the local people regarding the master plan of the Pashupati Development Trust 2053 BS. Under that decision, the Development Fund would transfer us and provide us with land in Gothatar, after which it was decided that we would have to move. But the decision was not implemented for a long time and now even their settlement has been demolished. He said that two options have been presented to the Pashupati Development Trust and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. According to him, the first is the demand for the rehabilitation of the displaced families if the PADT does not implement the master plan. Second, there is a demand to provide land in Gothatar as agreed in the past if the locals are to be relocated as per the master plan.
According to him, the PADT has already relocated five different settlements around the Pashupati area.
He said that the settlements of Bankali area have also been relocated as per the process and they have also agreed to relocate on the same basis.
According to him, initially it was said that they would be shifted to Situ area, but due to lack of sufficient land, it was agreed to shift them to Gothatar later.
He said that a decision was made at different times to provide four aana land at Gothatar at an affordable price.
He said that instead of evaluating the facilitation made by them for the development, they have to stage a sit-in on the streets.
Similarly, another victim, Durga Gautam, said that they have been living here temporarily for the past three months after the settlement was demolished all of a sudden in April.
She said that after the house collapsed, the family members were forced to live in separate rents.
She demanded that they be immediately reinstated as they have been facing problems for a long time.
According to Gautam, they had built a house in Tilganga and raised their children.
According to them, the concerned party had assured them of land and financial assistance. Gautam said that the house was demolished without informing her despite repeated assurances that they would deliver it today and tomorrow.
Sharada Gautam said that she was forced to live on the roadside in a tent after her house was demolished.
She said that daily living has become difficult as the employment of children and income source of the family has also been affected.
She said that the government has not implemented the promises made to them.
He said that although they have been facing problems for a long time, their demand is not big.
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