POKHARA, July 8: Even after almost half a century, the dream of Pokhara residents to have a full-fledged bus park in Pokhara remains unfulfilled. The government had allocated land 48 years ago to build a bus park. The government had issued a notice in the Nepal Gazette announcing that the bus park will be built within the boundaries of Seti River in the east, Siddhartha Highway in the west, Airport in the south and Prithvi Highway in the north.

Meanwhile, detailed study reports (DPR) were prepared several times to build the bus park. All those reports have been gathering dust in government offices while the bus park is yet to be built. Instead, the land of the bus park was encroached upon. Due to the same reason, the initial 205 ropanis of land allocated to build the bus park has now shrunk to 25 ropanis due to encroachment.

The land of Pokhara Bus Park is owned by Pokhara Valley City Development Committee, a public entity which is  currently under the leadership of the Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City. Budget allocation is made every year to build the bus park. However, the allocated budget is not enough to make a significant impact on the construction of the bus park. 

Instead, a temporary was laid on the bus park this year to provide some respite to the locals as the area had become muddy during rainfall and dusty during the dry season.

While it provided some relief to the locals, the possibility of constructing a permanent bus park is still uncertain as the authorities have shown no interest to expedite the work after laying the concrete.

The Gandaki provincial government has consistently emphasized building a bus park in Pokhara, but the commitment is just limited to paper works.

The province has been allocating annual budgets especially for the construction of a province-level bus park at Pokhara-32 Laaame Ahaal and a city terminal bus park at Pokhara-9 Prithvi Chowk. However, the budget always gets frozen without being spent.

It is clear that lack of budget is not the reason for the delay in building the bus park because the metropolis allocates a budget every year to build the bus park. More than Rs 70 million has been deposited in the bank since a decade ago to build the bus park. Until now, the amount has increased to nearly Rs 100 million with interest. 

That's why locals say that it is the lack of willpower not budget for the delay in  constructing the bus park. Political parties also have a huge role in this matter. Because when the construction of bus park starts, it will be necessary to remove some squatters who have encroached on the land. The parties fear that removing those squatters will destroy their vote banks which have been supporting them for years. The major political parties such as the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Center are among the parties involved in this.

Voices are being raised again demanding the government to build the bus park. Bhanubhakta Baral, a leader of the transport industry, says that the bus park should be built soon.  “The bus park has not been built due to lack of strong leadership and determination despite the availability of land and funds,” says Baral.

Balkrishna Niure, chairman of Prithvi Hotel Association, says although it may not be possible to construct the bus park in its originally-planned area, Niure suggests that it should be built within the available space. "The bus park needs to be constructed regardless of the current circumstances. Multiple floors can be built," says Niure. He warned that if the bus park is not built at Prithvi Chowk, tourism will be severely affected.

Kamal Bahadur Shrestha, the acting president of the Community Service Center and Community Police Service in Kaski, expresses his dissatisfaction with the absence of a bus park in the metropolitan city. He states, "The bus park is the lifeline of Pokhara. Tourism business will thrive here with the establishment of a bus park, and it is certain that other businesses will also flourish."

Dipendra Marsani, ward chairman of Pokhara Metropolitan City Ward-9, claims that the bus park will be built soon. "The bus park will be built and it should be built," he added, "If the metropolis does not start construction work, we should protest." He said that the bus park is the pride of Pokhara. “Just like the Fewa Lake and Pokhara International Airport, that are the pride of Pokhara, so is the bus park.”

He mentions that the detailed study reports (DPRs) should not hinder the construction of the bus park. He questioned, "How many more DPRs need to be prepared?"

He said that they are ready to contribute voluntary labor if the higher authorities  do not pour money on various pretexts.

Ward Chairman Marsani said that just like the relay hunger strike and other demonstrations to pressurize the construction of the airport, the same thing should be done to build the bus park. From now on, wherever the locals meet the mayor, he should be questioned-When will our bus park be built?”

The locals believe that since the bus park is considered the lifeline of Pokhara, it not only contributes to its prosperity but also enhances its development. "Tourists come to see the Fewa Lake. However, we need to ensure that the bus park is worth visiting,” Marasini added.

 
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