Nepal PM defends squatter settlement clearances

KATHMANDU, May 4: Nepal's newly elected Prime Minister Balendra Shah defended on Monday his push to clear informal settlements from stiff criticism by rights groups, in rare public comments since assuming office.

Authorities last month began demolishing informal settlements home to thousands of people on government land in the capital Kathmandu.

Squatters have been living for decades on the banks of the Bagmatiriver and its tributaries which crisscross the Kathmandu valley. Many lived in flimsy shelters of wood and sheet metal shacks.

Shah, 36, who was elected in March, said in a post on social media the process was "in accordance with the law".

He criticised what he called "intentional attempts to create suspicions and spread fear" about the process among residents of informal settlements.    �"AFP