Backpedalling from its earlier decision, the government on Tuesday said it will seek an alternative toSundarighat in Lalitpur district to relocate squatters evicted from the Bagmati corridor. 

The government has asked the Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Authority (KVTDA), Keshav Sthapit, to identify alternative places for the relocation within three days. The decision was taken in a meeting between the Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Lila Mani Poudel, and agitating locals.

This is the second time that the government has backtracked from its decision. About two months ago, locals of Kirtipur in Kathmandu protested a decision to relocate the squatters on the premises of Himal Cement Factory in Chovar.

According to Sthapit, the government is not going ahead with theSundarighat relocation plan. However, no official agreement has been signed with the locals of Sundarighat .

“We plan to relocate the squatter families at the Sankhamul area in the Capital as a temporary measure,” said Sthapit. “The KVTDA will hold consultations with stakeholders concerned in this regard on Wednesday.”

For the past one month, various local groups, politicians and local communities in Lalitpur had been strongly protesting the idea of relocating around 58 squatter families at Sundarighat .

The government had already built around 23 makeshift huts atSundarighat at an estimated cost of Rs 1.2 million for the squatters.

According to the locals, the government's move to use the 587 ropanies of land at Sundarighat for the squatters was "against the benefit" of the communities living in and around the area.

Locals representing the Mal Pokhari Conservation Committee in the area said the government had around 36 years ago confiscated land belonging to locals to set up a drainage processing centre. However, the government never began work on the project, they said.

With a view to cleaning up the Bagmati river and its tributaries, the government evicted the squatters living along the river banks at UN Park at Thapathali on May 8.

By: Ekantipur.com