Amid tensions between scrap dealers and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) police, a discussion titled “Safer Kathmandu Valley: Our role, responsibility, and challenges” was held last week with Additional Inspector General of Police Tek Bahadur Tamang, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari.

The programme, organised to enhance crime control, improve the use of specialised technology, and strengthen evidence-based investigations, saw the participation of various stakeholders including representatives from the Scrap Business Association Nepal.

In the event, Ram Kewal Gupta, president of the Association, submitted a letter explaining the concerns of scrap business vendors and urged the authorities to include their welfare in the three-year work plan of the ‘Safer Kathmandu Valley’ initiative.

The submission comes in the wake of ongoing protests by scrap collectors against KMC’s recent crackdown on scrap collection and storage in residential areas.

On February 14, KMC officially announced a ban on collecting and storing scrap materials in residential areas, citing “safety risks and growing complaints from residents”.

Municipal police also deployed bulldozers. As a result, scrap business owners and workers have been staging protests, calling the measures “unjust” and detrimental to their livelihoods.

According to Gupta, the KMC’s aggressive enforcement has rendered thousands of workers jobless, including small-scale collectors who carry second-hand materials on bicycles.

“Even bicycle collectors are being obstructed, and in many cases, their livelihood has been robbed by municipal authorities. Many workers now have no income and are facing extreme financial and psychological distress,” he said.

The Association has also filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Addressed to NHRC Chairperson Tapa Bahadur Magar, the petition requests “immediate action to put an end to such unlawful and disruptive activities” and to ensure that legally registered scrap business owners are granted the right to operate without undue restrictions.

According to Gupta, scrap businesses run legally in all 32 wards of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. They have the required permits issued by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and respective wards where they run business and pay taxes to local and central governments.

According to him, around 100,000 people are engaged in the scrap businesses. Those involved in the business say that the industry supports the economy by providing raw materials to the construction sector, reducing the trade deficit, and recycling things to promote environmental sustainability.

Recently, on March 9, KMC attempted to demolish scrap yards in Dallu, but hundreds of vendors protested. Their resistance forced the police to retreat, with a warning to take action after Holi.

“Is Kathmandu only for the elite? Why can’t we do our job respectfully? If they genuinely care about a safer city, they should consider the safety and well-being of people like us. Otherwise, it’s just a hoax,” said Suman Kumar, a scrap vendor from Teku.

Responding to the concerns, SSP Shekhar Khanal, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, said, “In addition to scrap business vendors, we invited various stakeholders. We are dedicated to making the Safer Kathmandu Valley initiative more effective by carefully analysing the feedback from all of them.”

Association president Gupta, however, warned of launching a large-scale protest if the government and the KMC didn’t listen to their voice.