By Keshar Rokka/ Ganga Khadka | Gulmi

 

 Small shacks with thatched roofs that can’t stop rain water from seeping in. There are 10 of them on the sides of the Madan Bhandari Lokmarg. Each shack is home to about a dozen people. As many as 50 squatters belong to the same extended fam­ily that lost their houses and belongings to a flood about a decade ago. Their neighbors, who have well-built houses, get run­ning water and electricity. The neighborhood, which is about a 15-minute walk from Simaltari Bazaar, Gulmi, has a joyous vibe during festivals.

 

However, in the squatter set­tlement of Malika rural munic­ipality, access to electricity is a distant dream. The residents, all of whom are Dalits, cook, eat and sleep before sunset. Many eke out a living by doing manual labor. Children are not able to study properly. Girls get married (and pregnant) at an early age.

 

Between 1999 and 2017, the residents of this settlement have voted four times to elect their representatives. Right before elections, politicians visit the settlement and make lofty promises of bringing water and electricity. But once elected, they forget their promises. The squatters say that many political leaders have pledged to resettle them in a better place and even provide them with land cer­tificates, but they have been empty promises.

 

Right before elections, politicians come to our settlement and even spend the night here. But all these years, our problems have fallen on deaf ears

Pom Bahadur BK, 46

 

“During elections, the can­didates come to our shacks and even spend a night here. But all these years, our prob­lems have fallen on deaf ears,” complains Pom Bahadur BK, 46. He laments that he has to go to a nearby river to quench his thirst. Although there is more than enough water in the neighborhood, residents of this settlement do not have access to it just because they are squatters.

 

Gothi BK, 63, says that peo­ple in her settlement face many challenges, especially during festivals or when they fall sick. “My husband passed away over 25 years ago. I have four kids. Because I get a wid­ow’s allowance from the gov­ernment, I manage to make ends meet,” she says. She rec­ollects the times when she was sick but could not go to the hospital because she had no money.

 

Local youths here have been unable to find a reliable source of income. They express regret that nobody in the vil­lage trusts them with a loan that they can invest.

 

Rit Bahadur Thapa, Chair­person of the rural municipal­ity, says public land is being steadily encroached upon. “Not all residents of the settle­ment are landless squatters, only some. After data collec­tion and verification, we will shift them to an integrated settlement,” says Thapa.

 

He adds that although there are no specific programs in the current fiscal, policies to improve the lives of the squatters will be introduced in the coming year. “As we have plans to resettle them, we cannot build additional infrastructure in the settle­ment,” says Thapa.