Structures removed from Bagmati River banks

By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, May 23:  The High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of Bagmati Civilisation (HPCIDBC) has removed all the temporary structures from both sides of the Bagmati River from Gokarna to Guheshwori. The HPCIDBC had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the occupants of the illegal structures on January 29.  The committee had given orders to remove all temporary structures and permanent structures.   

Kamal Aryal, an engineer and information officer at the committee, said that 26 structures were removed from Gorkarna to Guheshwori and nine structures from Guheshwori to Thapathali except for the landless squatters’ huts at the Thapathali bridge area. 

Four structures lying in between Guheshwori to Thapathali are yet to be removed, he said. In case of landless squatters’ huts, the National Land Commission is there to resolve the problems of landless squatters but the area has come under committee’s working area. Thus, it has made a separate committee to study the management of landless squatters and recommend to the Ministry of Urban Development to manage them and clear the area, he added.  

Earlier, the committee had issued a 35-day ultimatum on January 21, 2021, ordering the concerned to remove all illegal structures – temporary or permanent – after consulting with all related ward offices. After that, a similar notice was issued on August 13 last year ordering them to remove such structures along with damaged vehicle parts and old vehicles. 

He further said that they discussed and interacted with 26 several organisations after they were found building structures within the park on the river bank by breaching the agreement and they asked them to remove the structures. An agreement was signed with the organisations to build a park but they built other structures without permission, he said. 

In the first phase, a notice was published on December 14, 2021, to remove the structures from Gokarna to Guheshwori. During that time, 26 structures were removed from the area, he said.