Manohara Model Settlement Project Remains Incomplete After 24 Years

Kathmandu. The well-equipped model settlement, initiated by the Manohara Land Pooling Project 24 years ago, has not yet been completed. Residents of Manohara, located in Bhaktapur district, have complained of great hardship due to this. A site inspection of the Diyashwori Manohara area, located only 5 kilometers from Singha Durbar, clearly reveals the chaotic situation here. Immediately after crossing the Jadibuti bridge in Kathmandu, there was once ample arable land to the north of the Arniko Highway. Houses were not built in this beautiful plain by the river at that time. The area where Siddhartha Petrol Pump is currently located caught the eye of the then Mayor Keshav Sthapit. He envisioned a well-equipped model settlement in this area on Jestha 6, 2058 BS. Subsequently, the Manohara Land Pooling Project was initiated through the joint efforts of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Madhyapur Thimi Municipality of Bhaktapur. Landowners provided the necessary land for the project. The project's condition was to build infrastructure such as roads, drinking water, and electricity in this area and then hand over the land back to the locals, but this work has not been completed even after 24 years. The disorganized and dilapidated state of the Manohara Land Pooling Project, spread over approximately 2,300 ropanis of land, is clearly visible upon reaching Diyashwori 5 'B' block. In Diyashwori, which was supposed to be a well-equipped model settlement, unauthorized and disorganized public vehicles are currently parked. Bus operators from the eastern and western routes have arbitrarily occupied this settlement as a parking lot. 'Since it costs money elsewhere, buses are forcibly parked here,' said Rajkumar Adhikari, chairman of the Diyashwori Manohara Society. 'Bus operators engage in bullying and hooliganism here, and we don't even have a path to walk.' Due to the unauthorized parking in the Manohara area, children are facing difficulties going to school and college. Local residents complain of great hardship in their daily commute. Local Chandrakala Kharel (Jamuna) says, 'It is difficult to take scooters or cars inside the house when returning home from the office in the evening. Large potholes have formed on the road due to the movement of large vehicles. We are fed up with the mud in the monsoon and dust in the winter.' She states that it is not possible to say anything due to the behavior of the drivers. Locals complain that drivers and co-drivers threaten, abuse, and use foul language. Diyashwori 5 'B' block, spread over approximately 600 ropanis, has become a prime example of a disorganized settlement. Not only are there unauthorized and forcibly parked vehicles, but many irregularities and illegal activities are also taking place here. Grill shops, scrap yards, and garages are operating on both sides of the unpaved road. The harassment and stress caused by the forcibly occupied bus staff are indescribable. Chandrakala Kharel (Jamuna) says, 'The settlement is becoming very unsafe. Theft, robbery, and immoral activities are happening here.' Local Rajkumar Upreti said that the bus staff not only park haphazardly but also consume alcohol, make noise, and threaten locals. There are about 70 houses and one hundred temporary structures in Diyashwori 5 'B' block. This settlement still lacks organized drinking water, electricity, and road infrastructure. Electricity wires are connected by embedding bamboo in the old slum settlement, and the settlement is suffering from thirst due to the lack of a water pipeline. There are potholes at every step of the road, which fill with water during rain, turning into ponds. Due to the haphazard dumping of garbage, this settlement has become like a 'dumping site'. Land designated for a public park has also been encroached upon and cultivated. Local Rajkumar Upreti lamented that Diyashwori Nagar now looks like an ugly and disorganized dumping site. Many members, including Sanukaji Hekkal, the chairman of the Diyashwori Manohara Land Pooling Project Support Committee, established 24 years ago, have passed away. Currently, this committee is being run under the acting chairman Ram Sundar Bisht. The project has been operating with the acting chairman without restructuring the committee. Local residents have expressed dissatisfaction, stating that this committee has not made its income and expenditure public. Society member Rajendra Prasad Koirala said that although the Diyashwori Manohara Nagar Society formally requested the project for income and expenditure details under Article 27 (Right to Information) of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS, the details have not been provided with various excuses. He also informed that preparations are underway to file a writ petition in the court on this matter. 'The support committee itself has become the main problem,' says local resident Lok Bahadur Thapa. 'The project cannot spend money without the recommendation of the support committee. There is collusion between the members of the support committee and the project side. Millions of rupees have been paid in the name of illegal contracts to the consumer committee.' Thapa states that the physical progress of the project has been almost zero so far. It has been announced that work will be done through tenders only from this time onwards. He alleged that the project has not been able to get the contractor to work even though all the paperwork between the contractor and the project is complete and the work order has been issued. The condition of Diyashwori 'B' block to the north of this settlement, where a dream of an organized and well-equipped model residential area was shown, is also the same. Former chairman of the Diyashwori Manohara Nagar Society, Umanath Rizal, said that no work has been done in this area so far. According to local resident Rajkumar Adhikari, although this area was expected to develop as a model settlement, it has now been completely transformed into a public parking lot.

• Change of Project Chiefs, Problems Remain the Same

According to locals, 13 project chiefs have been changed in the 24-year period. While new leadership brings assurances, the work has never progressed, locals complain. They accuse project officials of 'procrastination' and evading responsibility whenever delegations visit. The problem has become more severe because some landowners have rented out their land for garages and parking. The narrow roads due to haphazardly parked large vehicles make it difficult for ambulances or fire trucks to arrive in emergencies. Local residents have demanded that at least a dignified living environment be created, even if the facilities are not commensurate with the land value.