Squatter Settlement Issue: Government Begins Verification Efforts to Distinguish Genuine from Fake After Bulldozing Colonies
Photo source, EPA
Following the bulldozing of squatter settlements built on public land in Kathmandu Valley, the government has initiated a process to differentiate genuine squatters from fake ones.
Officials informed that as displaced people are registered as landless and moved into temporary shelters provided by the government, identification is being based on older data.
According to Ganesh Prasad Bhatt, spokesperson for the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation, the government is carrying out initial procedures related to managing squatters within Kathmandu Valley.
A body affiliated with the Ministry of Urban Development has reported that approximately 3,500 families in the valley are landless squatters or living in unplanned settlements, based on prior studies.
“We are conducting verification. Since citizenship numbers alone are insufficient for complete details, we are attempting verification based on information spanning three generations,” shared Joint Secretary Bhatt.
To facilitate this, the government has assigned the Department of Land Management and Survey the responsibility. As of Tuesday, the department has found that about 500 out of the 3,500 families are not actually landless squatters.
Photo source, Maite Pun
Fake or Unplanned Residents?
Girish Kumar, Director of the Land Information Technology Division of the Land Department, said, “By cross-referencing those with registered land or those who purchased land after 2019, we have identified approximately 490 fake squatters.”
This number is likely to increase as the government verifies old records, which may not fully reflect current displaced populations or unregistered cases.
The Land Problem Resolution Commission’s data corroborates these findings. According to Deputy Chairperson and Spokesperson Sant Kumar Karki, 5,856 people from three districts in the capital have applied for land ownership.
In Bhaktapur, among 1,178 applicants, there are 140 landless Dalits, 370 landless squatters, and 668 unplanned residents. In Lalitpur, of 1,775 applications, 95 are landless Dalits, 492 landless squatters, and 1,188 unplanned residents. In Kathmandu, out of 2,892 applications, 259 are landless Dalits, 1,127 landless squatters, and 1,477 unplanned residents.
Photo source, lirc.gov.np
But are all of these individuals fake? The land law considers those without land as landless Dalits or squatters.
Landless squatters are defined as individuals or families unable to secure land through their own or family efforts.
However, some leaders indicate that certain squatters classified as unplanned residents may own land elsewhere in the country.
The land act states, “If some previously Forest Reserve, government, or unused land became settlement areas over ten years ago, the government may allocate land within a specified area at least once.”
Majority of Land Titles Issued to ‘Unplanned Residents’
Photo source, RSS
Despite the creation of over a dozen commissions to resolve the squatter issues in Nepal, the problem persists and has sometimes become a political agenda for some parties.
According to Sant Kumar Karki, vice-chairman and spokesperson of the Land Problem Resolution Commission, as of Tuesday, 1,210,098 individuals have applied for land ownership titles. Among them are 98,605 landless Dalits, 180,502 squatters, and 930,991 unplanned residents.
According to reports, the issue remains unresolved, with the number of squatter families increasing even as verification and categorization progresses.
The commission and prior commissions have so far distributed land titles to approximately 9,300 families. Karki noted, “The majority of land title recipients are unplanned residents. Last fiscal year, we collected revenue worth 116 million NPR.” He added, “We had aimed to distribute about half a million land titles this fiscal year. However, the commission was dissolved and then reinstated by the Supreme Court, which hindered operations. Currently, the distribution of land titles has almost stopped.”
Photo source, Sharad Regmi
Those squatters without land or income sources to purchase land are considered genuine squatters, but due to their limited political influence, they often face challenges in receiving land.
The commission prioritizes issuing land titles with preconditions. Karki stated, “We cannot proceed without verification from the local government’s ward level. We cannot act unless they provide the necessary data.”
Who is Responsible?
The Land Problem Resolution Commission opposes bulldozing squatter settlements without prior verification and management, describing such actions as unconstitutional and illegal.
The current commission was established by governments led by the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress. Although a prior government dissolved it, the Supreme Court reinstated the commission.
Most officials in the commission and district-level structures have political affiliations.
Consequently, the squatter issue has often been exploited as a political tool.
Particularly, accusations persist of nurturing party cadres under the guise of unplanned residents.
However, Karki also attributes the unresolved issue in Kathmandu Valley to insufficient engagement from local governments.
“Local governments agree to settlements but do not follow through. Kathmandu Metropolitan City has not advanced this work, so the problem persists,” he remarked.
There is a legal provision that unplanned residents cannot be granted land within metropolitan and sub-metropolitan municipalities.
Ganesh Prasad Bhatt, spokesperson for the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, stated that according to the land-related act, the clearing of land on the negative list is underway.
The act prohibits allocating lands of religious, cultural, social significance; those important for natural disaster management; public lands; lands along rivers, canals, and water bodies; risky settlement lands; and lands used by the federal, provincial, and local governments.
Local governments in Kathmandu Valley have also informed the commission that they cannot allocate land to squatters. “We have told them—if someone is a genuine squatter, verify and provide land where they currently reside. If not feasible, refer the case, as the government has the responsibility to provide land,” Karki explained.
Narayan Prasad Mainali, spokesperson for the Ministry of Urban Development, indicated that displaced people are currently undergoing verification and not yet at the management phase. “Kathmandu Medicinal Plants Land Settlement Program had been stalled due to encroachment; now it is possible. After verification, the government will plan accordingly,” he added.
Here is the current information regarding the squatter settlement issue in Nepal.