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🇳🇵 Nepal /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal squatters given June 26 deadline to vacate holding centers

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Displaced squatters in Nepal must vacate holding centers by June 26, following a government ultimatum.
  • The government will provide a one-time relief payment of Rs25,000 and three months of rent support at Rs15,000 per month.
  • Affected families express anxiety over the short notice, the adequacy of the financial support, and uncertainty about finding long-term housing.

Displaced families residing in government holding centers face a strict June 26 deadline to vacate, according to a notice issued by the High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of Bagmati Civilisation (HPCIDBC).

We are afraid we will be left stranded after three months of displacement.

— Indra Bahadur ThapaA resident of a holding center in Nagarkot, Bhaktapur, expressing fear about the future after the deadline.

The government has outlined a relief package that includes a one-time payment of Rs25,000 and a monthly rent subsidy of Rs15,000 for three months, to be disbursed directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts. However, this directive has generated significant anxiety among the displaced population, who had anticipated a permanent resettlement plan.

It is already difficult to find rooms at such short notice. Even if we manage to rent one, Rs15,000 a month will not be enough to cover living expenses in the current situation. What happens if we are displaced again after three months?

— Girbanika ThapaA resident of a holding center in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, detailing concerns about housing availability and financial support.

Residents like Indra Bahadur Thapa, currently at a holding center in Nagarkot, Bhaktapur, reported that officials instructed them to apply for relief funds and arrange their own accommodation by the deadline. "We are afraid we will be left stranded after three months of displacement," he stated, reflecting a common fear about the temporary nature of the support.

We need at least one or two weeks. Today the notice arrived, and from tomorrow [Wednesday] we will have to start searching for rooms. We don’t know where to go.

— Krishna Kumari SubbaA resident at the Banepa holding center highlighting the extreme difficulty of finding housing within the given timeframe.

Concerns are mounting over the feasibility of finding suitable housing within such a short timeframe and the sufficiency of the financial aid. Girbanika Thapa from Kirtipur noted that securing rooms is difficult, and the monthly rent support may not cover living expenses in the current economic climate. Similarly, families in Banepa expressed the near impossibility of finding housing by Friday, emphasizing their reliance on government arrangements and their hope for land allocation rather than rental assistance.

We have no land and nowhere to go. We believed the government would arrange safe housing for us. Now the worry is where we will find rooms.

— Toyanath GhimireAnother resident at the Banepa holding center expressing uncertainty about future housing arrangements.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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