Running out of patience

First, fraudulent cooperatives cheated them, now the state is indifferent to their plight.

It is unfortunate that Nepalis have to protest in the street for years to get back their hard-earned money. It has been a couple of years since thousands of cooperative victims have routinely protested in Kathmandu, demanding return of their money embezzled by fraudulent cooperatives. They demonstrated in their respective districts before descending on the federal capital, hoping that drawing the attention of the central authorities in Kathmandu would help them get back their deposits. The victims were compelled to take to the streets after authorities didn’t take any measures to help them. According to a Post report published in February, 2023, more than 2,000 victims had filed complaints at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City office alone against 123 cooperatives that, at the time, owed their depositors over Rs960 million. Such complaints have been filed with local governments, police offices and other relevant agencies across the country.