POKHARA: Pokhara Metropolitan City has removed all commercial structures within the proposed bus park area at Prithvi Chowk as part of efforts to move forward with the long-delayed construction of a modern and well-equipped bus terminal.
The demolition drive included Bastola Complex and shuttered commercial units and cabins located along the northern petrol pump corridor inside the proposed bus park site.
The site clearance comes more than five decades after the land was acquired for the bus park project in 1973. Authorities have already begun cleaning and levelling the cleared area in preparation for construction.
Despite removing commercial structures located within land ownership boundaries, the metropolitan city has yet to clear three squatter settlements inside the bus park area, where 572 families are currently residing on encroached land.
Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhan Raj Acharya said the settlements would not be removed until residents are properly rehabilitated elsewhere.
“The verification of documents submitted by residents of the squatter settlements is ongoing,” Acharya said. “Some individuals have been found to have provided incomplete or false information. If such cases are confirmed, legal action will be taken. Once the verification process is completed, we will move ahead with relocation.”
The mayor reiterated that the metropolitan city would not forcibly evict genuine landless families without first arranging alternative housing.
He also urged residents not to be misled by outsiders who, according to him, have entered the settlements and spread misinformation regarding the relocation process.
The land occupied by Bastola Complex and the petrol pump corridor was originally acquired for the bus park project. However, the then Pokhara Valley Town Development Committee later decided to allocate portions of the acquired land through compensation and plot distribution schemes.
To investigate those decisions and other land-related issues, the metropolitan city has formed a judicial inquiry committee led by a former judge. The committee has yet to submit its report.
Meanwhile, representatives of the squatter communities have said they are willing to vacate the area once alternative arrangements are made.
Prem Gurung, chairperson of the Squatter Concern Committee, said residents are not opposed to development and will leave the site as soon as a suitable relocation option is provided.
“The bus park project is an old plan, and we do not want to obstruct it,” Gurung said. “Show us where we can live, and we are ready to move.”
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