Right to Housing Act still in limbo due to lack of regulation

KATHMANDU: Although it has been two years since the act related to right to housing was endorsed by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, the government has not yet formulated any regulation for the act.

The Right to Housing Act 2018, which was formed in order to implement the fundamental right related to housing that has been enshrined in the constitution, was endorsed by both the Houses of the Federal Parliament and approved by President Bhandari on September 18,2018.

The regulation is necessary as it explains the details that are specified in some sections of the act. However, since the regulation has not been formulated yet, there are many legal hurdles.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Urban Development, Krishna Prasad Dawadi, informed that the regulation is being drafted and the ministry is in the process of getting approval from the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Finance and other concerned ministries.

He said that the delay in preparing the draft was due to the lockdown and prohibition orders that were imposed by the government to contain the spread of the coronavirus. As per Dawadi, the ministry will forward the draft to the Cabinet once it has been completed.

Advocate Bhupendra Pokharel, who has been working on the Right to Housing Act, says that the act will be cleared only when the regulation has been formulated. He said that if someone is deprived of the right to housing due to lack of regulation, they can approach the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission to protect their fundamental right.