Pokhara Metropolitan City

Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya has proposed a plan to revitalize the Phirke River, drawing inspiration from South Korea's successful Cheonggyecheon River restoration project. The initiative, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank, aims to transform the 8-kilometer Phirke River into an organized public space with footpaths and bicycle lanes, similar to the urban renewal project in Seoul.

Pokhara Metropolitan City has commenced a demolition drive to clear illegal structures encroaching on the Phirke Khola river corridor and the Pokhara Bus Park area. The action follows the expiration of public notices demanding the removal of permanent and temporary structures, with the municipality vowing to recover demolition costs from violators. The city is also preparing to reclaim land for a modern bus park and has requested details from landless Dalits and squatters.

Pokhara Metropolitan City has begun removing encroachments along the Phirke Khola, a stream flowing through the city, with the goal of beautifying its banks and launching the Phirke Corridor Project. This initiative, supported by the federal government, aims to transform Pokhara into a "green, clean, modern, and world-class river-corridor city," according to City Mayor Dhan Raj Acharya. The operation concluded peacefully on its first day, though some residents expressed concerns about the proposed right-of-way criteria.

Thousands of landless and land-poor squatters in Kaski, particularly in Pokhara Metropolitan City, are demanding land ownership certificates and secure housing, citing decades of struggle and fear of eviction. Residents, some of whom have lived in settlements for over 50 years, assert they were driven to these areas by poverty and conflict, not by choice, and are being unfairly portrayed as encroachers.

Pokhara Metropolitan City has begun demolishing structures built on encroached land along the Phirke River, following a 35-day notice period that ended on Saturday. Mayor Dhanraj Acharya stated that the campaign aims to clear all structures within the riverbank according to a measurement report from Ashadh 2080 BS. The demolition efforts are underway at multiple points along the river, involving bulldozers and city representatives.

Pokhara Metropolitan City has begun demolishing approximately 160 permanent and temporary structures built within the Firke Khola stream corridor. The eviction campaign, launched from the Zero Kilometer area, aims to restore the natural flow of the eight-kilometer stream that passes through multiple wards before emptying into Phewa Lake. A 35-day notice for residents to vacate the area expired on Saturday, with demolition work commencing on Sunday.

The 22-megawatt Seti Khola Hydropower Project has commenced trial electricity production after completing construction and technical testing. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Rajendra Prasad Pandey has voiced strong disagreement with Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle's views on the Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project's cost and significance.

The Pokhara Urban Development Committee has ordered the removal of all encroaching structures from the Pokhara Bus Park area within 15 days to facilitate the construction of a modern bus terminal. The directive covers a significant portion of the land originally acquired for the bus park, which has been subject to encroachment over the years. Authorities plan to resettle genuine landless families while clearing the land for the project.

Pokhara experienced widespread street littering and foul odors following heavy rainfall that overwhelmed drainage systems and swept uncollected garbage across the city. The waste management crisis in Pokhara Metropolitan City was exacerbated by a two-day halt in garbage collection due to local objections at the dumping site, leading residents to discard waste on roads.

Informal settlers in Pokhara are resisting eviction from land they occupy, despite notices from the Pokhara Metropolitan City. The Supreme Court has issued an interim order preventing forced evictions, though protests continue nationwide. According to the National Land Commission Kaski, 19,634 households in Pokhara are categorized as landless, informal, or unregulated dwellers.