BIRGUNJ: The Road Division Office, Hetauda, has begun demolishing houses and structures built by encroaching on the main road in Birgunj from Sunday morning.
The drive has been launched to widen the Tribhuvan Highway section from Gandak Chowk to Miteri Pul by 25 metres on both sides.
According to the office, around a dozen excavators were deployed from 5 am to remove encroachments, and approximately 1,200 houses and structures are expected to be demolished as part of the campaign.
Engineer Bhola Sah said the action has been taken in line with a Supreme Court verdict and federal government directives. “We had repeatedly issued notices to remove illegal structures, but since they were not cleared, we have begun demolition using excavators,” he said. “This will help move forward the road expansion work.”
Local residents, traders and business owners along the highway have, however, complained that they were given less than 12 hours’ notice to vacate their properties.
Kanhaiyalal Keshari, a homeowner near the Clock Tower area, said they were not given sufficient time despite having no objection to the court’s decision. “If we had at least a week, we could have managed to clear our belongings and debris properly,” he said.
Birgunj Metropolitan City Police Chief Hari Bhusal said the demolition is being carried out under tight security from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force Nepal, and municipal police.
The District Administration Office, Parsa, had issued a late-evening notice on Saturday instructing the removal of encroachments from Gandak Chowk to Miteri Pul by 4:30 am on Sunday. Following the demolition, electricity and internet services in the area were disrupted until around 12:30 pm.
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