Pokhara Metropolitan City Demolishes Illegal Structures on Phirke River

Pokhara. The deadline given by Pokhara Metropolitan City to remove illegally constructed physical structures encroaching on the Phirke River in Pokhara ends tomorrow, Jestha 9. As the strict warning and final deadline of the metropolis approaches, owners of houses, sheds, and commercial structures built by encroaching on the riverbanks have started moving their belongings to safe places.

The metropolis had previously issued a public notice to remove all types of structures constructed in a manner that affects the natural flow of the Phirke River and in violation of standards. With the metropolis adopting a policy of demolishing structures itself with bulldozers if not removed within the stipulated time and recovering the expenses from the concerned person or organization, locals appear to be in a hurry to manage their belongings themselves.

To ascertain the actual condition of the Phirke River, the metropolis had formed a technical committee under the convenership of surveyor Basudev Poudel. The committee worked in the field from Shrawan 3 to Bhadra 2, 2080, taking the 2032 BS survey map as a basis for measurement.

The Phirke River starts from AndheriKuna in Ward No. 18 of Pokhara Metropolitan City and flows through Wards No. 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 6 and merges into Phewa Lake at GaiGhat in Ward No. 17. During the measurement, a report was prepared indicating that the Phirke River is at least 3.30 meters to a maximum of 40 meters wide and 4 meters to 9 meters deep.

Technical team has also installed a total of 588 boundary pillars, 303 on the west and 285 on the east, to demarcate the actual boundaries of the river.

Photos: Arjun Gaha (Nepal Photo Library)