Kaski. Pokhara—The Pokhara Metropolitan City (PMC), which is planning to construct a well-equipped bus park in Pokhara, has removed all the commercial structures inside the proposed bus park area at Prithivi Chowk.

The shutters and cobbles of the Bastola Complex and the northern side of the petrol pump line have also been removed. The site clearance process has begun half a century after acquiring the land at the bus park in 2030 BS. The area where the structure has been removed has been cleaned and repaired.

Although the metropolis has removed the commercial structures within the land ownership area, it is still left to vacate the squatters’ settlements. A total of 572 squatters have encroached upon their land in three squatters’ settlements inside the bus park. The metropolis has said it will operate the bulldozer in the encroached houses and tents only after the landless squatters are managed elsewhere.

Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City Dhanraj Acharya said the landless squatters would not be evicted from the settlement without managing them. He said, “The details of the squatters are being investigated along with document verification. Some people have not given accurate information for three generations and have given false information. If such false information is proved, action will be taken as per the prevailing law. As soon as the process of verifying the details is completed, we will start the process of relocating the squatters. ”

Mayor Acharya said although the KMC has reiterated its commitment that the settlement of squatters would not be removed without proper management, some non-squatters and unrelated people have entered the settlement and spread false information.

The land of Bastola Complex, which has been vacated by the metropolis by installing dozers, as well as the land of the petrol pump line, is owned by individuals. Although the bus park was acquired in 2030 BS, the Pokhara Valley Town Development Committee later decided to allocate land in the acquired land.

Mahagar has formed a judicial committee under the leadership of a former judge to investigate into the recent land swap decision. The report of the committee is yet to be submitted.

The landless squatters inside the bus park have said they are ready to vacate their settlements once they are managed elsewhere. Prem Gurung, chairperson of the Committee on Squatters’ Concern Committee, said they were ready to move out of their settlement as soon as they got alternative. “The bus park was a long-standing plan but we have not been able to build it,” he said. We are not anti-development, we will not be obstacles, we are ready to go if the metropolis shows us where to go and stay. ”

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