Elderly Woman from Squatter Settlement: ‘They Won’t Let Me Die by the Bagmati River’
Summary
- An elderly woman, Sita Shrestha, who has resided along the Bagmati riverside near Shankhamul for over 50 years, was forcibly evicted by bulldozers on Friday.
- Sita Shrestha shared that she and her family are now struggling to find shelter, having only been given promises of receiving land ownership certificates.
- The government is rapidly clearing squatter settlements along Kathmandu’s riverbanks, leaving residents facing an uncertain future.
April 30, Kathmandu – On Friday afternoon near Shankhamul, along the Bagmati riverbank, elderly woman Sita Shrestha was seen. She has lived by the Bagmati river for over 50 years. When she first settled there, the surroundings were nothing but fields; no houses existed.
Her family includes a son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Suddenly on Friday afternoon, bulldozers arrived at the settlement where Sita has lived for decades.
“I haven’t purchased any land, where can I go? I don’t even have a room. Where do I go?” she shared her pain in a soft voice.
According to her, since yesterday her son has been wandering around searching for accommodation, but to no avail.
“We squatters are the ones who are not given rooms,” she said. “Many have seen that I rear cows and go to cut grass.”
Sita also mentioned that many people had promised them land ownership certificates and had even asked for payments from time to time.
However, she does not know who received the payments or where they were submitted.
“Even if I want to die here by the Bagmati river, they won’t let me; I just want peace and tranquility. Even if I suffer, I wish my children to be happy,” she said. “We were only promised land ownership, but I still don’t know who was given the payments.”
Livelihood through cow rearing, she sat across the street watching bulldozers demolish her settlement. She is unaware of where she will stay tonight. The government is aggressively clearing squatter settlements.
Most of the river embankments in Kathmandu have been cleared rapidly since Friday.
The residents face a sorrowful situation as bulldozers demolish their homes within their own settlement.
