The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has sought help from the Ministry of Home Affairs to evict squatters living on the Bagmati riverbanks.

The metropolis said it reached out to the home ministry, stating that the request made to Kathmandu District Administration Office to assist the eviction drive was ignored.

The metropolis wrote to the ministry on Thursday seeking necessary assistance to oust the squatters from the area.

An earlier attempt by the metropolis to evict the squatters at the request of the Bagmati River Basin Development Project on November 28 was thwarted by the squatters occupying the government land. At least 21 people were injured following a clash between the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Police personnel and squatters.

The letter signed by Basanta Adhikari, Chief Administrative Officer of Kathmandu metropolis, mentioned that the repeated attempts to evict the squatters have failed due to obstruction from the squatters. Adhikari, in the letter, has requested the ministry to direct and coordinate with the District Administration Office and security agencies to evict the squatters.

Bhoop Dev Shah, personal secretary to Mayor Balendra Shah, said they communicated directly to the ministry after Kathmandu District Administration Office failed to ensure necessary assistance for the eviction drive.

The Bagmati River Basin Development Project Committee issued a notice on November 18 to vacate the area. The committee has been implementing the $78.80 million Bagmati River Basin Improvement Project since April 2014. The project has a completion date of May 2025.

According to the committee, at present, as many as 34,096 squatter families are living on the banks of the Bagmati river.