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Kathmandu Wednesday May 30, 2001 Jestha 17, 2058.
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Illegal
settlement
The term squatters do not include only teachers,
shopkeepers, military and police personnel. It also embraces other professionals. Some
earn their living by gambling, pick-pocketing, stealing, and using other means to cheat
innocent people. Girls and women do their best to invite clients and sell their body with
the help of pimps. Armed with knives and khukuris, some youths wander along at night.
While others are found involved in high-class smuggling. Two years ago, when some police
personnel raided the slums of Dhalko, they confiscated gold worth millions of rupees.
Slums are the safest areas to hide children brought illegally from other villages. We
never know how they are brought and where they are taken to afterwards. A lot of illegal
activities are taking place at the slum areas, but we never try to stop such malpractices.
So far, local ward offices have not done nothing to
check it. Rather, they have enlisted the names of squatters in the voters’ list,
allowing the illegal migrants to live there permanently. Under such a situation, only
local residents can to do something to prevent such settlements of squatters on river
banks.
Dirgha Man Dyola
Dhalko, Kathmandu |
