Shantinagar squatter settlement in Kathmandu now deserted, residents displaced

Kathmandu—The squatter settlement in Shantinagar, Kathmandu, is no longer what it used to be. Once filled with tin roofs, bamboo huts, narrow alleys, and crowds of people, the area now appears deserted.

There are broken bamboo pieces scattered around, torn tarpaulins, old clothes, and utensils. Lal Bahadur Limbu, 64, displaced from this settlement, now resides with his family at a squatter holding center in Banepa. His face shows fatigue, his eyes pain, yet his voice carries a tone of resilience.

“We are squatters, but we are also human,” he says slowly.

Lal Bahadur’s life is no ordinary tale. It is a long journey of struggle, scarcity, love, and hope.

Originally from Sunsari district, he moved to Pokhara around 2047 BS. There was a lack of work in the village, making it difficult to support his family. In search of a new life, he headed to Pokhara, where he spent about 10 years working as a laborer. He carried loads, transported goods in the market, and worked tirelessly all day. Occasionally, he painted murals on walls, as art was another world hidden within him. But survival required labor first.

In 2057 BS, he came to Kathmandu. The capital offers dreams to many but does not accommodate everyone. He reached the Shantinagar squatter settlement, where he built a small bamboo hut. It leaked when it rained and was drafty, but that cramped room became his family’s world.

With him was his wife, Sangeeta Limbu, known to everyone as “Thapa Saru Magar”. Although much younger than him, she shared the hardships and struggles equally. They had two children—a daughter, Naima Limbu, and a son, Sushil Kumar Limbu.

Sushil is now 19 years old. He studies at a college in Baneshwor and has recently taken his Class 12 exams. However, he does not live with his parents. Due to the unsuitable environment for studying in the squatter settlement, he stays with his aunt. The family’s dream is for Sushil to excel in his studies and change his life.

But the deepest story of this family is connected to Naima.

Naima was ill from birth. She could not walk or speak. Doctors said her main bones had not developed, diagnosing her with “Arthrogryposis”. This news shook Lal Bahadur and Sangeeta’s world.

But Lal Bahadur did not give up.

He dug a small pit inside their room. It was not a playground; it was a father’s hope. He would place Naima there for hours so she could learn balance. Later, he bought a walker and began teaching her to walk, holding her every day.

This struggle was not a matter of a day or two. For four years, they continued this effort. With the little money earned from labor, they provided nutritious food for her, often going hungry themselves. After returning from a long day’s work, Lal Bahadur would practice walking with his daughter.

After four years, a day came that changed their lives.

Naima took her first steps on her own.

It was a small step, but for Lal Bahadur, it was the greatest victory in the world. Naima still cannot speak, but her eyes express all her father’s love, struggle, and faith.

Time passed. Despite the struggles, the family never lost hope. In 2079 BS, Lal Bahadur completed the necessary paperwork for residence in Shantinagar. They thought life might become a bit more secure.

But on the morning of 12th Baisakh 2083 BS, a bulldozer arrived in Shantinagar.

That day, the settlement was filled with cries. People hurriedly grabbed their belongings and fled. Children were crying, and the elderly were shouting. The bulldozer demolished the bamboo houses one by one, turning homes built with years of hardship into dust within minutes.

Lal Bahadur stood silently, watching the scene.

The most painful part was that they were given only three days’ notice to vacate. “If we had been given at least 35 days, we could have cleaned up ourselves, found another place, and moved gradually,” he says, breaking down, “Where to go in three days? How to go? My daughter learned to walk in four years; where to take her in three days?”

No one has an answer to his question.

Even now, Lal Bahadur and Sangeeta remain without a permanent home. They have no land, no secure shelter.

Naima now stands beside her father. She does not speak, but her silent presence tells a deep story. It is a story of a father’s relentless struggle, a mother’s endurance, and a family’s tale that never lost hope despite adversity.

Standing on the dust of Shantinagar, Lal Bahadur looks up at the sky once more. Perhaps he is still dreaming of a safe home.

–Nepal Photo Library