KATHMANDU, May 19: Lawmakers in the House of Representatives (HoR) on Tuesday drew the government’s attention to a broad spectrum of pressing national issues, including landless squatters, rising suicide cases, unemployment, inflation, caste-based discrimination and growing incidents of idol theft.
Speaking during the emergency session of the House, MPs urged the government to respond more effectively and urgently to mounting public concerns across multiple fronts.
CPN-UML lawmaker Bishnumaya BK raised concerns over the living conditions of landless squatters staying in holding centres, stressing the need to ensure proper education for children living there.
MPs call for addressing problems facing squatters
“The government’s policy should focus not on removing the poor, but on eliminating poverty,” she said, adding that issues faced by landless communities must be addressed with greater sensitivity.
Similarly, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) MP Shambhu Prasad Dhakal called for thorough and impartial investigations into suicide cases reported from different parts of the country, demanding strict action against those responsible for abetment.
UML MP Kshitij Thebe, meanwhile, sought a clear and official government position on the controversial Pathibhara cable car project.
“The issue surrounding the under-construction Pathibhara project has drawn attention not only in Taplejung but across the country,” he said. “The government has verbally said that work has been halted, but what is its official stance? Will the project move forward or be stopped?”
In another intervention, RSP MP Jagdish Kharel raised concerns over rising incidents of idol theft and encroachment on cultural heritage sites in Lalitpur Constituency–2, saying even deities are now in need of protection.
“We often think gods protect us, but in my constituency, it is time to protect the gods,” he said, referring to thefts of idols and encroachment on ancient hiti (stone spouts). He also cited the reported theft of a hiti mang used during the Rato Machindranath festival.
Separately, UML MP Nita Gharti drew the government’s attention to ongoing caste-based discrimination, particularly in housing and public spaces, calling for effective enforcement of constitutional guarantees of equality and social justice.
She cited cases of Dalit individuals being denied rental housing after their caste identity was revealed, and shared instances of repeated eviction and discrimination faced even by educated members of the community. She said such incidents reflect a gap between constitutional promises and ground reality, stressing that discrimination in housing, education and public life must end in practice, not just in law.
