Nepal's opposition attacks Govt.'s move to demolish landless squatters' structures.

PTI, May 01, 2026, Kathmandu : Nepal's Government has come under attack from opposition parties after they further intensified the campaign to demolish illegal structures built by landless settlers in Kathmandu and other areas.

On Sunday, at least 1,200 temporary and permanent structures built illegally in two of Nepal's prime districts along the banks of the Bagmati River and Manahara River were demolished during a massive demolition drive.

The local authorities on Friday continued their demolition drive by dismantling hundreds of structures built on the banks of the Bagmati and Bishnumati River in the Balkhu, Teku, and Balaju areas on the outskirts of Kathmandu, saying that these settlements were constructed illegally on riverbanks and public land.

The Balendra Shah-led government has come under attack from leaders of various opposition parties for this act.

The government intensified their campaign to demolish hundreds of settlements belonging to landless squatters in Kathmandu without adequate preparation for their rehabilitation, authorities said.

Gagan Thapa has said that the government should not treat its citizens as enemies.

Speaking at a programme in Kathmandu on Friday, he criticised the government for dismantling the houses of the landless squatters without identifying the real landless people and proper relocation plans.

Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has said that the landless people were unable to collect their belongings as the authorities dismantled their houses without proper notification.

"The scene in which the people were searching for their belongings scattered here and there in the dismantled structure was really heart-touching," he said in a video message.

"The way the government acted without properly identifying the landless squatters and without providing alternative arrangements to them was a blow against the citizens," remarked former Prime Minister and senior leader of the Nepali Communist Party Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The government has no right to snatch people's accommodation, he added.

"The government's move to bulldoze the settlements of the landless people was an act of suppression directed against the landless squatters of the entire country," said Narayankaji Shrestha, former deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Nepali Communist Party.

The removal of the illegal structures is part of the government's plan for the beautification of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and restoration of the banks of the Bagmati River.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah 'Balen' had made unsuccessful efforts to remove these illegal structures in Thapathali along the bank of the Bagmati River when he was Kathmandu mayor a couple of years ago.

However, the move could not succeed as the then K P Sharma Oli-led government did not cooperate with him.