Pokhara Metropolitan City has decided to proceed with the construction of the bus park only after proper management of the landless Dalits, squatters and unorganized settlers in the bus park area in Prithvi Chowk. The metropolis has given a final warning that it will use a dozer if all the structures built inside the ravine of Firke Khola are not removed within three days.

The metropolis has started the proper management process of the squatters living there to move forward the construction process of the Pokhara Bus Park in Prithvi Chowk, which has been stalled for years. The metropolis has issued a notice on Wednesday, directing the landless Dalits, squatters and unorganized settlers who have been given permission to submit their and their families' details to the office of Ward No. 9 within three days (by 8 Jestha). The metropolis is preparing to release the bus park, which has been used as a 'vote bank' for a long time and has not been constructed, after proper management of the stakeholders.

In 2029, planner Padam Bahadur Chhetri, under the leadership of Zonal Officer Shankar Raj Pathak, prepared a physical development master plan for Pokhara. At that time, a well-organized blueprint for Pokhara was drawn. As per the master plan, the government acquired 205 ropanis of land in 033. The land for the bus park was published in the gazette with four forts. Due to lack of protection of the land in the name of the Pokhara Valley City Development Committee, the bus park could not be built till now.

Out of that, 19 ropanis fell on the Prithvi Highway. 37 houses that used to run hotels and restaurants on the land of the current Pokhara Airport were given plots on the land to the west of the bus park in 038 BS. Those who refused to accept compensation for the land were given land adjacent to the highway in exchange.

In 1998, a German-Nepal joint study showed that 67 ropanis of land on the banks of the Seti River were unsuitable for construction, and the actual usable land was limited to 120 ropanis. The remaining land fell victim to the policy corruption of the then leadership of the Municipal Development Committee, who sold it cheaply to hoteliers and distributed it to those with access in the name of compensation. In order to raise funds for the construction of the bus park, the then chairman of the Pokhara Valley Municipal Development Committee, Ashok Palikhe, started selling plots. His successors, Kshetra Bahadur KC and Bishnu Prasad Bastola, continued the sale of plots. The east, south and west sides of the bus park were sold in this way. At that time, 42 plots on the west and south sides were sold for Rs 300,000 and 32 plots on the east side were sold for Rs 180,000.

An additional 20 ropanis and 5 annas of land were distributed to the landowners as compensation. The committee itself leased 7 aanas of land for a petrol pump and later sold it for Rs 4.2 million per ropani. Irregularities were also seen in the swap. There is a record that one person who acquired 62 ropanis got 32 plots and another who acquired 33 ropanis got 17 plots.

After 054, squatters started living on the land of the bus park. In ward number 9, ward chair Jayalal Pun, nominated by the RPP, and Bishnu Bastola of the Nepali Congress settled squatters. In 061, when Surya Bahadur Thapa was the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers decided to manage the squatters and build the Pokhara Bus Park. At that time, the squatters were moved to Seti Dill and 81 ropanis were cleared. Currently, out of the 205 ropanis, only 47 ropanis of land is secured by the Municipal Development Committee, where 78 houses have land titles, while about 500 families are living as squatters.

The 35-day notice issued by the metropolis on 4 Baisakh to remove the encroached structures expires on 8 Jestha. In this context, Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya has expressed his commitment to proceed with the construction of the bus park only after investigating their actual situation without making the squatters sit.

‘Now, we are investigating their actual situation and are talking about how to manage them properly or ensure that they are managed,’ he said. ‘We will build a bus park in the entire bus park area after talking to representatives of all the settlements living here.’ He said that since a master plan for what kind of bus park should be built, there is unanimity among all parties, all sectors and various stakeholders that a bus park should be built.

‘My friends who live in the squatter area have also said that a bus park should be built here, we will help but proper management should be done for us,’ he said, ‘That is their legitimate demand. We will facilitate that and are currently investigating it.’

Dozers to be used in Firkekhola after three days

On the other hand, the metropolis has given a deadline of 9 Jestha to remove all permanent and temporary structures built within the Firkekhola ravine that merges with Fewa Lake. The metropolis has given a three-day ultimatum as the 35-day notice issued on 4 Baisakh is about to expire. If the person or organization does not remove the structures themselves within the specified time, the metropolis has warned that the metropolis will use the dozer from 10 Jestha and will recover the expenses incurred for it from the concerned party as government dues.