Pokhara, June 20
The Pokhara metropolitan city said more than 270 structures built on the Phewa lake had been demolished.
The metropolis has announced that it demolished all unauthorised structures constructed near Pame that were built by businesspeople for housing projects.
“This land is part of the lake and cannot be sold to people to build houses,” said Mayor Dhan Raj Acharya. “We have destroyed 270 such plots built in the area.”
In the past year, more than 50 acres of land along Phewa lake’s banks were illegally filled for unauthorised land development.
The metropolis has faced criticism for its failure to take essential measures to protect the lake, which was included on the World Ramsar List in 2016.
The local government in Pokhara had adopted a new rule to protect the Phewa lake from encroachment. The Supreme Court, however, ordered the city not to adopt it.
