Ministry of Federal Affairs Instructs All Municipalities to Identify Actual Squatters

April 30, Kathmandu – The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has issued a letter urging all municipalities and rural municipalities to identify genuine squatters within their jurisdictions. Alongside this, the ministry has directed local bodies to develop plans for immediate alternative arrangements and, if necessary, collaborate with district administration offices to remove encroachments. This directive was formalized in a circular released on Thursday.

The National Association of Rural Municipalities and the Nepal Association of Municipalities expressed their concerns on Thursday morning through a statement, objecting to the collection of data on squatters by the Nepali Army. The army, however, clarified that the information was being gathered solely for disaster management purposes.

On the same day, the Ministry of Home Affairs sent letters to Chief District Officers across the country, instructing them to coordinate with relevant agencies to identify encroachments on government and public lands within their districts. These officers were also directed to prepare plans for removal of these encroachments and present them to the ministry. Furthermore, the ministry emphasized the need for security arrangements and necessary facilitation during the eviction operations.

Both the Nepali Army and Nepal Police had previously corresponded with municipalities to collect information about squatters. Some municipalities in Bardiya have already protested against this initiative. The government has launched campaigns to remove illegal settlements across various locations in the country, including Thapathali, Gairigaun, and Manohara in Kathmandu.