Dozers return to Pokhara's Phirke river bank, 56 structures being demolished

Pokhara Metropolitan City has resumed, from Thursday, its campaign to demolish structures built along the banks of the Phirke river. The campaign, which began last Jestha, had been halted due to legal procedures, re-survey work and the rains.

Municipal police inspector Purushottam Thapa said the remaining structures are now being removed after structure owners failed to comply despite three rounds of correspondence.

A 2080 BS survey report had identified around 160 structures in the river area. Of these, about 104 temporary structures and some permanent ones have already been removed. Around 56 permanent and institutional structures that remain within the river's flow area are still standing.

Delays in completing the survey and legal work have occurred because the remaining structures include some government offices, community buildings and large permanent houses. People are still living in some of the houses that were demolished earlier.

The metropolis's Tourism and Urban Development Division said it plans to remove all structures in the river area within the current fiscal year.