KATHMANDU, Nov 10: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has softened its earlier stance on immediately removing settlements built on encroached public land, announcing that it will first investigate complaints before taking any action.
KMC sources said the metropolis has received numerous complaints regarding public land encroachment and structures built in violation of urban standards following the seven-day public notice jointly issued with the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) on October 31. The notice had asked occupants to voluntarily vacate encroached land within a week.
The KMC mayor’s office has clarified that the complaints will be thoroughly investigated first and only then will action be taken against illegal structures.
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KMC has claimed that around 1,860 ropanis (approximately 10 million square feet) of land have been encroached upon within its jurisdiction.
KMC’s City Police Chief Rajunath Pandey stated that the metropolis will coordinate with the Kathmandu District Commissioner’s Office under the KVDA to execute any future removal drives. “We will not move in hastily for now. We are still accessing the total encroached spaces and numbers of households,” he said.
The KMC is still undergoing investigation of the encroachment in ward numbers 3,4,5,7,8,9,29 and 30.
Mayor Balen Shah has claimed to have freed more than 208 ropanis of public land from encroachment.
KMC plans to develop reclaimed areas into public parks, sports grounds, skateboarding parks, shelters, and green spaces to ensure the land is preserved for community use and protected from re-encroachment.
Earlier concerns had arisen that the enforcement drive could lead to tensions with riverside squatter communities. The Gen Z Movement Alliance had also urged the metropolis not to take coercive measures without offering viable relocation alternatives. Meanwhile, pro-monarch leader Durga Prasai had asked the squatters to unite against the KMC’s plan.
