Seven displaced people shifted from Banepa to Ichangunarayan holding centre

Seven displaced people have been shifted from the holding centre at Banepa in Kavrepalanchok to the Ichangunarayan holding centre in Nagarkot.

The displaced people were shifted under the leadership of Khagendra Vishwakarma, a sociologist with the Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee.

According to Vishwakarma, the displaced people were shifted to Ichangunarayan as they were not getting regular food at the Banepa holding centre. The government had stopped providing food at the Banepa holding centre since 22 Ashar, with the intention of closing it down.

Out of the 115 displaced people from 45 families who were living at the Banepa holding centre, only 11 people remained until 6 Shrawan. However, only seven people agreed to shift to Ichangunarayan, while four others refused.

Reasons for shifting

Rima Pokharel, who shifted to Ichangunarayan with her family, said that she decided to move as there was not much difference between living in Banepa and Kathmandu, and it would be easier to find a place to live in Ichangunarayan.

‘I will live in Ichangunarayan for a few days and look for a place to live. I will move out as soon as I find a place,’ Pokharel said.

Refusal to shift

However, three families with four members refused to shift to Ichangunarayan. They alleged that the authorities were trying to deceive them by saying that they would be provided with land, but in reality, they were not.

‘We were told that our names were included in the list of people who would get land, but when we checked, our names were not there,’ said Hema Kumari Dahal, one of the displaced people who refused to shift.

‘We have been living here for a long time, and now we are being told to leave. We will not move until our demands are met,’ said Kunti Maya Pulami, another displaced person who refused to shift.