Students at the receiving end

ANKIT ADHIKARI

KATHMANDU, OCT 05

Jeeban Dangi, a 23-year-old student from Patan has been given an ultimatum of 15 days to vacate the room he has been living in for the past few years.

A week ago, Dangi’s landlord barged into his room and ordered him to leave as a relative of his wanted to move in. Left with no option, Dangi has been forced to roam the streets in search of a suitable alternative. However, to his utter dismay all his efforts have proved futile so far.

During negotiations with house owners, Dangi said he was denied accommodation just because he was an unmarried student and pursuing his Bachelor’s degree.

“We usually don’t let out rooms to students, but as you look like a good man, we can consider your request if you take the whole flat,” Dangi quoted a landlord as telling him on one occasion.

Dangi relies solely on money sent by his parents from Pyuthan. He cannot afford to think of renting a whole flat. “Do you know how much a flat costs?” he asked, adding that these days an apartment in Kathmandu costs between Rs. 9,000 and 10,000. A visibly helpless Dangi sighed, “I don’t know what I am going to do when my 15 days are over. A week has already gone by.”

The majority of landlords in Kathmandu look for families or married couples to rent out their apartments to. Citing reasons such as security and cleanliness, house owners are usually reluctant to let their rooms to singles and students. “Students are not so careful about cleanliness,” said Jaya KC, who owns a house in Baneshwor.

While students like Dangi have their own complaints about the many Kathmandu landlords that refuse to let out their rooms, house owners also have their own side of the story to tell. Ramesh Babu Maharjan of Mangalbazar, Patan, couldn’t sleep one night due to disturbance from the room downstairs. Irritated by the noises, he went to see what was going on. Maharjan was surprised to discover that six boys were having a party.

“All drunk, they were playing cards and shouting,” he complained. “The next day, I told the boy to vacate the room within one month.”

However, students have a different perspective. “Just because a few people are not conscious about things like decency and cleanliness, house owners can’t just generalise the matter,” said Ramita Khadka, 22, who had to shift to a girls’ hostel a year ago after she was unable to find a room for herself.

“Houses are mushrooming in this city,” she said. “It feels as if most of these houses are not of any use to youngsters. Lack of trust is hitting us hard. I wonder if something effective could be done about it at the socio-political level.”


Published in The Kathmandu Post -- October 6