Kathmandu, May 1 -- The government has said it will not proceed with evictions of informal settlers until a clear plan for their identification and resettlement is finalised.

In a press note on Thursday evening, Minister for Urban Development Sunil Lamsal urged landless families not to panic, assuring them that evictions would only follow a verified identification process and that secure relocation arrangements would be in place.

"The government will move ahead with clearing encroached public and government land only after identifying genuine landless families and ensuring their safe resettlement," Lamsal said.

The statement said a special campaign had been launched ahead of the monsoon to remove settlements at high risk of annual floo...