KATHMANDU: Protesting the master plan brought by the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), locals of the area have demanded that plan be annulled since it will have a long-term impact.

Locals and people’s representatives have said that the PADT did not consider it worth to consulting with them.

Speaking at the press conference organized by the Struggle Committee at Pashupati area on Friday, lawmaker of the House of Representatives Gagan Thapa, Bagmati state assembly member Narottam Baidya and Chairperson of Katmandu Metropolitan City-8, Dinesh Kumar Dangol univocally protested the master-plan presented by PADT governing Board in the cabinet on February 2.

Lawmaker Thapa said that he met with Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai, also the chair of Board, and asked him to scrap the master-plan brought without consulting with people’s representatives and informed about the problems of locals.

Bagmati state assembly member Baidya blamed that Minister Bhattarai had shown duel character saying he would help locals. Dhungel said that the master-plan should be scrapped as it would destroy settlements of locals living since earlier and put festivals, culture and religion under shadow.