Slum dwellers' anger over Nepal Maoist 'decadence'

Thousands of slum dwellers are facing the prospect of eviction after decades of living by the banks of the Bagmati river in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. As BBC Nepali's Surendra Phuyal reports, they argue that their enforced departure is being ignored by top political leaders - including senior Maoists who have vowed to champion the cause of the poor.

Nowhere can the argument that Nepal's government is abandoning its proletarian principles be more clearly seen than on the banks of the Bagmati river in central Kathmandu.

The government is preparing to demolish squatters' settlements that have mushroomed in recent decades on the banks of river, which flows through the heart of the capital.

The eviction programme is part of a big project to clean up this once-pristine river, now an open sewer because of massive and unplanned urbanisation.        Full Read