Kathmandu. All the big houses and permanent structures built by encroaching upon the Gairigaun area have been completely demolished.

The campaign launched under Kathmandu metropolis-9 will continue till Monday night and the removal of big structures has been completed.

The demolition drive was intensified from Monday afternoon after the demolition work was incomplete on Saturday and Sunday night. Bishnu Joshi, chief of the Metropolitan Police Force, said that the demolition has become more challenging as there are many big houses of permanent nature in Gairigaun alone.

“The operation that started from this afternoon continued till night and we succeeded in removing all the big structures,” he said. Two big bulldozers and other heavy machines were used in the operation. The metropolis has taken strict steps after the government issued a directive to remove the structures built by encroaching upon the river and public land for long.

Gairigaun has been known as a major centre of encroachment as dozens of big permanent houses were constructed in the area. According to the Metropolitan Police Force, it will take few more days to remove the debris from the damaged houses, including bars, bricks, stones and glass.

Locals, however, said that the movement has been hampered due to the lack of immediate management of the damaged materials. Mangal Thapa, a local, said that pedestrians and vehicles are facing difficulties in mobility due to construction materials scattered on the roads and alleys after the demolition of houses. “Although all the houses and tents have been demolished, the materials scattered everywhere have increased the risk.

According to the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, a large number of squatters have been living in various encroached areas of the Valley. There are 476 households in Shantinagar, 162 in Gairigaun, 143 in Thapathali, 77 in Gothatar and 13 in Manohara Tole.

The metropolis has said that it will continue the campaign of removing encroachments by prioritizing the conservation of public land, management of river banks and urban beautification. The KMC has made it clear that it is coordinating with the federal government and the bodies concerned for the management and rehabilitation of the displaced families. The metropolis has said that it is preparing to make strict monitoring and legal action effective to prevent such encroachments in the coming days.