Sabin Ninglekhu on How to (Re)Settle Informal Settlements: The Case of Bagmati and Beyond

The November of last year saw a heated contention between the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the slum-dwellers of Thapathali, as the yellow dozers of the first were confronted with the homemade weapons of the latter. This wasn’t the first time the squatter (or Basti) had garnered public concern, but it continues to struggle to reach a resolution as the State finds itself torn between its duties. On the one hand, it’s called by the ideals of urban planning for a world-class city; on the other, it’s obliged to uphold human rights within its territories. 

In this episode, PEI’s Khushi and Sabin Ninglekhu look into the informal settlement of Thapathali to understand the rationale, actions, and desired ends of its two key stakeholders: the State and the settlers. They unfold, in detail, the tumultuous past and present of the Basti, covering all grounds, including the recent public discourse over the “fake settler”. They then branch out to other resettlement initiatives in Nepal, rethinking the role of aesthetics in humane urban planning and exploring how to best manage and resettle informal settlements.

Sabin holds a Ph.D. in Human Geography from the University of Toronto, Canada, focusing on informal politics and urban poverty. Sabin co-leads a long-term research project titled ‘Heritage as placemaking: The politics of erasure and solidarity in South Asia’, where he looks at the tacit and implicit roles of religion and heritage in urban planning agendas. Sabin also voices his findings and thoughts in op-eds for The Record, The Kathmandu Post, Naya Patrika, and Chetlung and occasionally translates popular pieces from Nepali to English.

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