Residents of Prime Minister Balen Shah's own constituency have started taking to the streets to protest his controversial decision to bulldoze squatter settlements.
Landless squatters from Damak Municipality and Kamal Rural Municipality in Jhapa Constituency No. 5 have been staging continuous street protests.
Following a demonstration in Kamal Rural Municipality on Monday, protesters marched through Damak on Wednesday, chanting slogans against the government.
In the elections held on March 5, PM Shah defeated CPN-UML Chairman and former PM KP Sharma Oli by a wide margin in Oli’s long-time stronghold, Jhapa-5.
The protesters argued that the government should not use security forces and bulldozers to evict squatters from places they have inhabited for years without providing an alternative.
The protest, organized by the All Nepal Squatters Association, marched through various parts of the city.
The Damak area in Jhapa has a dense squatter population. According to Damak Mayor Ram Thapa, at least 6,400 squatter families reside in the municipality. Mayor Thapa has already expressed his objection to correspondence from the police and administration requesting bulldozer deployment, stating that no such action will be taken haphazardly.
Previously, a protest was organized in Kamal Rural Municipality by the Land Rights and Workers' Organization.
After receiving a memorandum from the squatters, Kamal Rural Municipality Chairman Hukum Singh Rai expressed commitment to not deploy bulldozers in squatter settlements.
Rai mentioned that the rural municipality is currently collecting data across all wards and assured that no demolitions would occur during unfavorable weather or in haste.
Squatters in Birtamode, Jhapa, have also launched an agitation, with the Squatter Joint Struggle Committee recently organizing a protest march there.
