The Patan Appellate Court has done the right thing by extending the stay order against the government's drive to evacuate settlers along the banks of the Bagmati River (Squatters evacuation stay extended, Dec 13). It is wrong to force people out of their shelters when they have nowhere else to go. Yes, they might not have been staying there legally. But I believe this is as much a moral issue as it is a legal one.

First the government must make alternative arrangements for the settlers. In fact, the erstwhile government had come up with a really good resettlement option a couple of years ago. As far as my memory serves me right, new homes would be built for squatters and steps taken to provide them employment. And once they were gainfully employed, the squatters would pay back the government through small contributions from their monthly incomes. I wonder if the plan is not gathering dust in the bureaucratic mess of Nepal government. Why make plans if you never intend to implement them?

By: Samriddhi Rai, Gothatar, Kathmandu

Source: Republica, December 14, 2011