Rupa Lake project work affected in lack of budget

By Phadindra Adhikari,Lekhnath, May 16: The Rupa Lake Integrated Conservation Development Project's progress has been hampered by a lack of budget allocation as per the planned arrangement. 

The shortage of funds for the ongoing project, situated between Pokhara Metropolitan City and Rupa Rural Municipality in the Kaski district, has led to delays in both compensation distribution and timely payments to construction companies.

Locals have repeatedly obstructed the project, citing its sluggish progress and lack of compensation to them. 

Following a halt in work initiated by locals last Sunday, an all-party discussion on Monday facilitated the project's continuation. Chief of the project, Kali Bahadur Shahi, said that the district administration office was poised to release the remaining land promptly, coordinating with the local authorities overseeing the project's implementation.

Out of the 1,472 ropanis of land reserved for the project over the past 14 years, compensation for the 477 ropanis necessary for the project remains undistributed. 

“It has been agreed that the land surplus to project requirements will be released, and the funds will be allocated to distribute the compensation,” Shahi said.

After the construction of structures including dams on Rupa Lake, the area of the lake will be around 180 hectares. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 4.51 billion.

When it comes to distributing compensation to the landowners, a total of Rs. 870 million has been distributed out of the estimated Rs. 1.15 billion. Shahi said, “With the addition of some more land, we estimate that the compensation will increase by around Rs. 300 million.”  Under the project, three major contracts have been awarded for multi-year agreements. The construction of an eight-kilometre road from the River base is 80 per cent complete. The progress of this road, which will be blacktopped, has reached 80 per cent as per the project update. Only Rs. 20 million has been allocated for road construction this year. Another Rs. 70 million more is needed for road construction, the project said.

The construction progress of the 136-metre-long dam at the lake is at 20 per cent. With an estimated cost of Rs. 280 million, a budget of Rs. 500 million has been allocated for the dam construction this year.

For the multi-year project of extracting soil from the lake’s basin, there is a budget of Rs. 4 million this year. The work of soil extraction, which began this fiscal year, has progressed by around 10 per cent. Its estimated cost is around Rs. 400 million.

The plan to construct a foot trail from the forest area towards Pokhara Metropolitan City has not yet commenced. This foot trail, which is seven kilometres long and will connect Rupa Lake with an eight-kilometre-long road, is still pending completion.

The overall project is also yet to reach halfway. “Currently, the overall progress is around 45 per cent. We have submitted bills, including the budget for three multi-year plans, to the Ministry of Finance,” Shahi informed.

The target is to complete the project by 2028. He further mentioned that an additional Rs. 1 billion is required to complete the project.

In the lake, plans such as the development of picnic spots with facilities, parking areas, and beautification of nearby waterfalls, including the installation of an island with facilities like the Tal Barahi Temple, are being incorporated.

Locals have raised concerns over land acquisition for years, citing impacts on settlements, livelihoods, and transactions. 

Hari Prasad Adhikari, coordinator of the Rupa Lake Conservation Committee, said the urgent need to compensate for the required lands for the project and to expedite the process of freeing up unnecessary lands.