Kathmandu, August 24
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Manish Jha has raised concerns in Parliament over a demolition drive targeting structures built around public ponds in Janakpur.
Speaking during Monday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Jha said bulldozers had been operating in Janakpur since Saturday as part of an effort to clear encroachments around public ponds.
“Around 65 houses have been cleared during the process,” he said.
Jha said the demolition drive had raised concerns among local residents, particularly over whether the campaign would disproportionately affect poorer communities.
“There is a kind of fear in Janakpur, and there is also a suspicion that perhaps only the settlements of poor people will be removed while the powerful will be left untouched,” he said.
Calls for action against powerful encroachers
Jha said he had coordinated with the Guthi Sansthan and had been informed that action would also be taken against structures belonging to influential individuals.
According to Jha, notices would be issued within 15 days to clear hotels built by encroaching on ponds, hotel parking areas constructed over ponds, hospitals and other structures built by encroaching on public ponds.
He also said action would be taken against land that had been encroached upon and leased out by private individuals who were collecting rent from it.
Jha said Janakpur was possibly among the sub-metropolitan cities in Nepal with the largest amount of public land.
He referred to a report prepared in 2005 under the leadership of Bhojraj Ghimire, which reportedly found that around 950 bighas of land in Janakpur had been encroached upon, acquired or misused.
Jha said the current demolition drive was being carried out on the basis of that report.
‘Do not target only the poor’
Jha thanked the federal government and Prime Minister for paying attention to the issue but urged the authorities to ensure that the campaign was not limited to demolishing the homes of poorer residents.
“We are grateful, on behalf of the people of Janakpur, for the attention of the federal government and the Prime Minister to the work currently underway,” he said. “But we would again like to request that this campaign and its action should not target only the poor.”
He called for equal treatment under the law and urged the authorities to ensure that the broader objective of protecting and reclaiming public land was achieved.
“All should be treated equally, and the campaign to protect and publicly reclaim the 950 bighas of land that have been encroached upon in Janakpur should succeed,” Jha said.
