Pokhara Metropolitan City has stated that in the first phase, only structures within the area where the poles were buried were demolished.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality demolished 32 illegal structures built within the boundaries of Fewa Lake on Saturday. The Supreme Court's decision implementation facilitation committee demarcated the illegal structures within the area of the lake where the poles were installed and used a dozer.
Locals in the area where the structures were demolished have blocked the highway from Khahare to Khapaudi in Lakeside, saying that the dozer was used without any information.
Metropolitan Police Chief Purushottam Thapa responded that only the structures within the area where the poles were installed were demolished in the first phase on Saturday.
The Supreme Court's decision of 4 Ashad 2080 had issued a mandate to demolish the structures within 65 meters from the boundary based on the highest water level of the lake. The Supreme Court's mandate was to cancel the registration of land within 65 meters and to provide compensation for the land registered before 032 BS and bring it under the name of the lake and maintain greenery. On 4 Ashad 2080, the Supreme Court had decided to demolish the structures encroached by the Water Front Resort.
In the course of implementing the decision, a facilitation committee was formed on 13 Mangsir 080 under the coordination of Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey to implement the Supreme Court's decision for the protection of Fewa Lake. The facilitation committee had formed a technical subcommittee on 15 Magh 080 under the coordination of Gangalal Pokhrel, Chief Surveyor of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of the province.
According to the study of the subcommittee, the lake area is 6.343 square kilometers (12,468 ropani 3 paisa 3 daam). This is the area of the highest water edge identified during heavy rains in Pokhara on 20 Asar 081. This area made public by the facilitation committee is 617 square kilometers (1,213 ropani) more than the last area published in the gazette.
Based on the recommendation of the subcommittee, the facilitation committee started burying poles on the lake shore from 17 Jestha. Although the subcommittee digitally determined 1,055 points, only 611 poles were buried due to geographical disparities. Now, the metropolis has only removed the structures within the limits of this pole from the Waterfront Resort in Sedi to Khapaudi. The facilitation committee has only digitally confirmed the 65 meters from the place where the pole was buried. The area up to 65 meters from the boundary where the pole was buried has been maintained at 1.268 square km (2,491 ropani 7 anas 1 paisa 2 daam).
After the government included the conservation of Fewa Lake in the 100 agenda of governance reforms, Prime Minister Balendra Shah had called Pokhara Metropolitan Mayor Dhanraj Acharya and expressed his interest. The metropolis has already submitted the latest progress report to the Prime Minister's Office. Although there is no problem in demolishing illegal structures built on the land inside the lake where the pole was buried, the report suggests that the issue of compensation for demolishing structures within 65 meters should be finalized.
