Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Monday said recent steps to clear informal settlements are aimed at ensuring housing rights and finding a lasting solution, not displacing residents.

In a statement posted on Facebook amid growing backlash, Shah said the government is serious about attempts to spread fear among people living in informal settlements.

He said encroachment along riverbanks and public land is being addressed in line with the law, adding that some provisions of the Land Act, 1964, have been scrapped through an ordinance to remove legal hurdles to long-term solutions.

Authorities have in recent weeks intensified eviction drives across the Kathmandu Valley, targeting settlements along river corridors and public land, particularly along the Bagmati river and its tributaries. The government’s move has drawn criticism over the lack of immediate resettlement arrangements.

Shah said work has begun to identify genuine landless people through digital data collection, verification and record-keeping to ensure a transparent process.

He said those living in unsafe areas will be relocated to safer places, while decisions on other landless groups will be based on recommendations from the concerned commission.

“All steps taken are not to remove citizens, but to ensure housing rights and resolve the problem permanently,” Shah said.

He urged the public not to spread unverified information or panic, adding that the government is committed to ensuring safe, dignified and permanent housing.

“No citizen will be left homeless,” he said.