Pokhara, June 21: Pokhara Metropolitan City on Saturday used excavators to demolish 320 shutter units and other structures of the Bastola Complex built illegally on land designated for the proposed bus park at Prithvi Chowk.
The complex, located on the Seti River side of Prithvi Chowk, was removed as part of the city’s ongoing campaign to develop the Pokhara bus park. According to officials, shop owners had already vacated the premises following an agreement between the metropolitan office and the landowners.
Mayor Dhanraj Acharya said continuous discussions with the complex operators and business owners led to an agreement to clear the site.
“We had reached an understanding with the landowners, and the area was cleared accordingly. However, we will not demolish settlements of squatters without proper resettlement,” he said. Earlier, on June 18, the city had already demolished shutters at the bus park entrance.
The land cleared from the Bastola Complex is reportedly registered under private ownership. Although it was acquired in 1973 for the bus park project, the Pokhara Valley Urban Development Committee later decided to distribute compensation and plots within the acquired land.
The metropolis has formed a judicial committee led by a former judge to investigate issues related to land compensation and distribution decisions. The committee’s report is yet to be submitted. Mayor Acharya said verification of land ownership certificates is ongoing and findings will be made public soon.
Ward Chair of Pokhara-9, Dipendra Marsani, said the entire bus park area will eventually be cleared. He added that alternative arrangements for squatters occupying the land are being developed.
“The bus park land will only be cleared after genuine squatters are resettled elsewhere. Verification of whether they own other land is underway,” he said.
The metropolitan office stated that out of 572 squatter households, verification has been completed for 337 so far, with the remaining cases to be processed soon.
Mayor Acharya said the investigation has taken time because some squatters were found to have provided false or incomplete family details.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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