Road expansion drive results homeless to many Episode - 27

This episodes of Indigenous  Voice gives coverage of voices of those affected families who have been rendered homeless due to road widening drive in Kathmandu valley.

The road expansion drive in the Kathmandu valley was initiated by the Maoist government led by Baburam Bhattrai in 2011, and continued even after Bhattarai's exit. The drive was hailed by the denizens of the valley as a much-needed campaign to deal with traffic congestion. The roads in the valley now look better, and commuters enjoy more open space. But the way roads were widened, or being widenedin the valley added misery to the lives of many locals, mostly Newars.

The drive made some places look like a war like, with private houses bulldozed and people covered with dust. The roadside land and house owners in the Kathmandu valley might have never foreseen that the government would one day force them off their property. The laws, including the Constitution of Nepal, have enabled the government to acquire private property for public good, public necessity or public benefit by paying compensation.

But there were sporadic street protests  and defiance by people affected by the road expansion drive. The affected families argued that the government did not give them prior information and pay them fair compensation to force them off their homes and lands. The courts also frequently issued orders for the government to halt the move, but the demolition continued. The land taking of private individuals for road expansion has fallen within the exercise of the state's powers of eminent domain.