Kathmandu, April 6: Home Minister Sudhan Gurung has said he was defrauded in the Phewa Lake land case and is preparing to pursue legal action.
According to his secretariat, Gurung plans to seek legal remedy after discovering that the land he had leased falls within an encroached area.
The development comes as Gurung has been leading a campaign, in coordination with Pokhara Metropolitan City, to remove structures built by encroaching on Phewa Lake, in line with a Supreme Court order. It has now emerged that the land he leased is also within the encroachment zone.
The secretariat stated that Gurung and his two business partners are preparing to take legal action against the landowner, accusing them of concealing the fact that the land was encroached and misleading them into signing the lease.
Around 8 to 10 years ago, Gurung and two young entrepreneurs had planned to operate “Adventure Sports Nepal” with the aim of promoting adventure tourism along the shores of Phewa Lake in Pokhara.
Quoting Gurung, the secretariat said they had started the project with significant investment and ambition, believing assurances from the landowner that the property did not fall within the 65-meter boundary restriction. Official land documents had also indicated the land was safe, but later verification with the municipality revealed it was within the restricted zone.
Gurung said they halted all construction and investment immediately after discovering the deception. “As soon as we realized we had been misled and defrauded into leasing the land, I halted all construction and investment on ethical grounds. What happened to our investment and aspirations as young entrepreneurs is unacceptable,” he said.
He added that they are now moving ahead with legal proceedings. “We will pursue the strongest possible legal action against this injustice and fraud without any hesitation,” Gurung said.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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