Nagarkot Border Demarcation Process Stalled

Kavrepalanchok. The process to resolve the border demarcation problem in Nagarkot, a tourist area located at the border of two districts, Kavrepalanchok and Bhaktapur, for years, has been abandoned midway. Although a committee formed in July 2081 BS, comprising representatives from four municipalities of the two districts, conducted an on-site inspection and prepared a preliminary report, the work to demarcate the border has been left incomplete as the report was not implemented. At that time, representatives from the four municipalities of the two districts received the committee's report and conducted an on-site inspection. Nagarkot is also the confluence of Mandandeupur Municipality and Banepa Municipality of Kavrepalanchok and Changu Narayan Municipality and Shankharapur Municipality of Bhaktapur. "After everyone studied the report, they said that further discussions would be held to ascertain the facts of demarcation. The committee became almost inactive due to the presence of the Nepali Army's training site and some sensitive areas," said Shanti Ratna Shakya, Mayor of Banepa Municipality. Shakya stated that the process was halted because the committee submitted a preliminary report with solutions and options for border demarcation after the on-site inspection, but implementation was reluctant. The committee was formed under the convenorship of then Survey Department's Survey Officer Dilliprasad Dahal, and included ward chairpersons and representatives from the four municipalities, chiefs and representatives of the survey offices of Kathmandu, Kavrepalanchok, and Bhaktapur districts, and local technical personnel. The local Naldum-Nagarkot Development Committee also provided necessary support for the management of the committee. The decision to form the committee was also made after several meetings and discussions between the four municipalities regarding border demarcation. According to Mandandeupur Mayor Tok Bahadur Waiba, further discussions would be held based on the committee's report to advance the border demarcation process. It has been verbally stated that the border between Kavrepalanchok and Bhaktapur falls in Nagarkot as a 'water divide'. Meanwhile, Kavrepalanchok MP Badan Bhandari has advised hotel entrepreneurs of Nagarkot to demolish structures built on encroached government and public land in Nagarkot from now on. "If you have encroached upon government and public land in Nagarkot, demolish it yourself, otherwise bulldozers will be used," said Bhandari. Previously, the municipalities bordering the two districts had also pledged to invest joint budgets for the tourism development of Nagarkot in Bhaktapur and Kavrepalanchok districts. The dispute between Changu Narayan Municipality of Bhaktapur and Mandandeupur Municipality of Kavrepalanchok regarding tourism fees was resolved in the long term, as public land at the border has been misused for a long time. An agreement was also reached for both municipalities to work together for the demarcation of Nagarkot and the development of tourism in this area. Similarly, an agreement was reached between a team including Changu Narayan Mayor Jeevan Khatri and Mandandeupur Mayor Waiba to resolve all existing problems, including the issue of large hotels in Nagarkot encroaching on public land and operating with built structures, and to make the area an excellent tourist destination. In the agreement made in Poush 2079 BS, it was decided to demarcate Nagarkot, identify and protect public land, and develop it as a tourist destination, and for this, both municipalities allocated a budget of Rs 10-10 lakh in that financial year to prepare a future master plan.