Mayor Opposes Central Government’s Demand to Evacuate Settlements
April 21, Butwal – The Industrial Area Management Limited under the central government issued a letter on April 28 demanding the immediate removal of unauthorized settlements and other physical structures on the land of Motipur Industrial Area in Rupandehi. Following this correspondence, thousands of residents from approximately five thousand households in Raniganj, located in Butwal wards 17 and 18 along the riverbank, fear they may be displaced from their longstanding homes.
Locals who have lived there since 2000 BS submitted a memorandum on April 29 to the Industrial Area Management Limited and Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, urging them to adhere to previous agreements. The prior understanding was that the industrial area would be established only on vacant land without any settlements. Despite submitting the memorandum, no clear commitment has been received from the Industrial Area Management Limited or the Sub-Metropolitan City to halt the eviction, prompting the residents to form the Settlement Protection Struggle Committee and initiate protests.
On Sunday, thousands of landless and unauthorized settlement residents from eight localities of Raniganj took to the streets carrying placards demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Balen Government. According to Tank Prasad Nyaupane, advisor to the Settlement Protection Struggle Committee, residents have been unable to sleep at night since the directive to clear the settlements was issued. Nyaupane criticized Prime Minister Balendra Shah for authoritarian tactics, claiming that the government’s direct instruction to clear the settlements and the accompanying letter have terrorized citizens rather than treating the poor humanely. “On the Prime Minister’s orders, the Industrial Area Management Limited’s strict directive to clear the settlements has left 2,500 families in Raniganj fearing displacement, unable to sleep through the night,” said Nyaupane.
Chhavi Raskoti, coordinator of the Struggle Committee, accused Prime Minister Balen Shah, who led the Janajati movement, of using bulldozers to spread terror in the homes of landless and unauthorized residents, contrary to the demands of the Janajati community. Since the government previously allowed residence, collected house taxes, and provided electricity, drinking water, and road infrastructure, the current eviction orders are considered unjust. Although the foundation stone for the industrial area was laid amid local opposition to displacing nearly 5,000 families who have lived there since 2000 BS, no progress has been made in six years. According to Raskoti, approximately 5,000 households in Butwal, Tilottama, Shuddhodhan, and Siyari are affected by the Motipur Industrial Area.
Chief of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, Khelraj Pandey, has assured residents that settlements within the industrial area will not be removed. He explained that boundaries have been demarcated in coordination with the Industrial Area Management Limited to exclude settlements in Butwal wards 17 and 18 in the east, ensuring no displacement will occur. “The Motipur Industrial Area cannot be established by removing the Raniganj settlements,” stated Mayor Pandey. Following the central government’s demand to clear the settlements and the local government’s refusal to comply, the future progress of work in the Motipur Industrial Area remains uncertain.