Kathmandu, December 29
Kirtipur municipal government has demolished around 15 huts on the bank of Bagmati in Chobhar area of Kathmandu where landless squatters were living.
The city’s deputy mayor Saraswati Khadka says the huts were demolished after other locals complained of pollution there. According to her, the squatters had run a soap factory there, and they used to burn animal fats and bones for the production, creating a foul smell and smoke. They have also been accused of encroaching on the riverbank.
The factory operators were mixing the waste into the river directly for the past few years and the officials came to know about it after the complaint, according to her.
Just a few weeks ago, police in Nakhkhu of Lalitpur had arrested three persons on the charge of burning animal hides, bones and other parts and polluting the surrounding. They were released after imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 each.
