Krishna Prasad Bhusal
Thousands of students enter Kathmandu
valley each year to complete their higher education and to acquire university
degree. They have a dream of acquiring degree, dream of enhancing their career
and having better future. But their journey of acquiring degree starts from,
finding a rented room around their desired area. In first approach it is very
hard to find a room, and if found it is more likely that the room is either
dark, small, having scarcity of water or very expensive to afford. Since most
of the students have financial pressure, they forcefully and deliberately
choose room having very less facilities. The time they spend searching room,
the room they rent and the rent they have to pay make them disappointed and
compel them to think of things other than education. Renting room is indeed the
first step and also the non-academic step of academic career, which most of the
students have to undergo. There are lots of rental problems, finding room is
one of the hardest jobs one has to encounter at first. Maintaining academic and
friendly environment in and around the room is another challenge, paying expensive
rents on regular installment is their next challenge. Inhumane treatment of
house owner is also the burden to the students.
Since the geo-political situation of
the country is centralized on Kathmandu valley, most of the academic
institutions, colleges and universities are centered on Kathmandu. Because of
this, population of students too is overflowed here, and it somehow caused the
rental problem. But most importantly, this problem is caused by poor management
system. Colleges and universities are becoming indifferent to students’
problem, so do student unions and even the government. This is the problem that
affects so many things. When students’ mind is full of domestic rental problems
how can they accelerate their studies? How can they do well in their education?
This problem is responsible not only for hampering student’s potentiality but
also for college drop outs. This is one of the problems, which is why students
leave college and either return back home or go abroad. Few days back, I have taken
a survey on around two dozen students of Tribhuvan University living in
Kirtipur. I asked all of them that what actually is the problem they are
currently facing. Some of them said they are searching best suitable rooms,
some said they are going to transfer rooms, and some said they are running out
of money in the verge of last of the month. Very few people replied that they
have a problem that is not associated with rental problem. I concluded that
whatever the problem is, in most of the cases it is about rent.
Not only students but 99% of tenants
have been suffered or victimized from respective house lords in different
aspects. Ninety nine percent land lords do not issue contract papers to
individual tenants. So they wish to increase the fare and ask to vacant any
time without prior notice. The lives of tenants are as gift or mercy of
landlords. They do not bother to follow State’s existing rules and regulation
regarding rent as they are feudal. They impose any thing any time to any
tenants whatever they wish. They do not care whether tenants need conducive
airy house/flat or room with adequate light, water, electricity, free from
noise, dust, air, and water pollution. The house lords do not pay tax to
government or concerned authorities. Even if they pay, they pay nominal
manipulating to the concerned tax officials in respective offices. Land lords
may ask money without any rationale like water supply, electricity, charges of
using court yard, waste collectors, donation to beggars, various cultural groups
like Deusi bhailo, Holi , Shivaratri etc.
Neither tenants are united or have
union against the anarchism of land lords nor there is any rights protected of
tenants by Law. But who cares? As if the concerned authorities are not aware.
Whom to blame? Only house lords? Is it not a responsibility of the concerned
Ministry especially of House and Physical Planning? Ministry of Local
Development and its local bodies? offices and officials for not a proper access
and good roads? Ministry of Water Resources for not adequate water and
electricity supply? Policy makers and University graduate engineers for
haphazard construction of houses day by day for inviting disaster? Of course
politicians are at the center to be blamed since everything is guided by
politicians ruling and or opposition. If you can buy justice from different
departmental stores of Kathmandu or any place why do you hire an expensive
lawyers? Why one reads in class? When one gets desired distinction without
attending a single class or appearing in exam? Do not the concerned authority
know the required quantity of water, electricity, vehicles, roads, cycles and
footpath lane to meet the basic need of 4 million people of Kathmandu valley?
Hitherto I discussed on the problem,
its causes and its effects, now it’s time to think of the resolution which is
how the problem can be resolved. One of the best solutions I can propose is to
enhance the capacity of the hostels of each and every college and to provide
boarding facility to students within college premises. The state can play the
creative role in doing so, it can subsidies the colleges which can offer
boarding facility to all of its interested students. Rental problem is directly
associated with students’ financial problem, and this too can be resolved
simultaneously. If students are kept in hostels, in one hand they can do better
in their educations and on the other it become cheaper one. Students can even
be employed for some hours a week, which will ease the task to be done and will
reduce the financial burden of university students. A number of recommendations
can be made to the concerned authorities:
·
Implement
strictly the existing legal provision by the state;
·
follow
strictly the prevailing legal provisions on the discussed issue of rental problems;
·
enact
immediately required legal framework legislation that deals hearing and
disposal petition or the issues related to tenant and land lords through fast
track system within twenty four hours;
·
provide
full compensation to the victims (tenants) in mishandling or misbehaving so
that none of other house lords dare to repeat inhumanity or unnecessarily
troubles; National Planning Commission should immediately inspect and provide
demolition authority to concern municipal or VDC officials which have not met
the earthquake free standard;
if tenants are not getting the
required basic facilities like water, electricity , transportation and
pollution free environment like land lords then fix the number of houses and
people can stay in Kathmandu as per the carrying capacity of the valley or the
concerned places of Nepal then there should be the provisions to emigrate or
rehabilitate such population; necessary instruction to different engineers
association like Society for Nepalese Archaeologists, Nepal Engineering
Association, FNCCI, Department of Population and various government agencies
and non-governmental agencies can be helpful in this regards. In this proposal I have incorporated
some of the problems regarding rental issues, discussed on some of the causes
and some effects of it. I also proposed some of the solutions to be taken, that
will help students reducing problem of renting room and paying
the rents.
