Lumanti Support Group for Shelter in partnership with Ratnanagar Municipality, Akriti Women Saving and Credit Cooperative Limited (Community Led Women Cooperative in Ratnanagar), Salghari Sukumbasi Basti Byawasthapan Samitee (Community based Management Committee for Community Resettlement) and Nepal Sukumbasi Sudhar Samitee (Federation of informal settlements in Ratnanagar) is providing access to soft loan finance along with technical support for the resettlement of Salghari Community in Ratnanagar. Through the 'Salghari Community Resettlement Program' 235 poor families in Salghari Community will be provided with improved living condition including housing. A day long Workshop and Interaction Program on 'Salghari Community Resettlement', jointly organized by Lumanti and Ratnanagar Municipality on March 17, 2015 concluded with the formal unanimous decision to initiate the Resettlement of Salghari Community followed by signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the five key stakeholders for the Community Resettlement.

 

The workshop was initiated with the presentation focusing on the findings of household survey conducted by Lumanti in Salghari Community some months back. Salghari is the informal settlements located in ward 9 of Ratnanagar Municipality that comprises of three clusters namely Danfe Munal, Parisramik and Nawa Jagriti. As of the survey data, 235 families are resided in 195 houses in very pathetic condition with limited access to basic services and infrastructures. The housing condition and access to safe water and healthy sanitation is very poor in the communities.

 

Community Mapping and resettlement plan were developed with technical support from the Pro-poor Technical Assistance Group (PTAG) and technical team from Lumanti in participation of the community people from all three clusters. The community design has been endorsed and agreed by the all stakeholders. 

 

Followed by the presentation focusing on the findings of household survey, the roles and responsibilities of all key stakeholders including Political Parties have been defined and agreed. The representatives of the political parties expressed their commitments on their remarks during the workshop. 

 

Speaking on the occasion, Executive Director of Lumanti Lajana Manandhar expressed her happiness on the formal initiation of Salghari Community Resettlement Program and insisted to develop the community as the model which comprises women and child friendly surroundings, eco-friendly environment with adequate infrastructure developments. Highlighting the escalating urbanization and increasing urban population, she also proposed her idea on Low income Rental Housing which Lumanti has already started in Kathmandu as a model. She said, the rental housing targeting for low income families migrated to urban center can reduce the increasing numbers of informal settlements. 

 

Addressing the gathering, Executive Officer of Ratnananagar Municipality Narayan Prasad Pandey highlighted the municipal plan towards improving the living condition of the urban poor people and informal settlements. He also expressed his commitment to mobilize the recently established Urban Poor Support Fund effectively addressing the need of those poor and informal settlements. Concluding his remarks he said, single effort of the Municipality is not sufficient for overall development of the city, joint effort and collaboration from national and international agencies along with government line agencies should be the priority.

 

Around 100 participants representing different political parties, civil society, community federations, people from the Salghari Community, officials from Ratnanagar Municipality and media journalists took part in the workshop.