KATHMANDU, May 2: Ramesh Poudel from Pokhara, who was staying in a hotel near Full Moon Club in Thamel, could not sleep all night due to the noise from the club.
As the Full Moon Club is running a disco on the roof against the standards, people could not sleep until midnight due to the loud music and dancing. "I couldn't sleep all night because of the noise pollution created by the club in Thamel," said Poudel, who stayed in Thamel when he came to Kathmandu.
Thamel, one of the country's top tourist hubs, is visited by all kinds of local and foreign tourists. Hoteliers as well as tourists staying in Thamel where clubs, discos, and dance bars are now sporadically opened, have complained that they have been directly affected by this.
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Hoteliers say that while the young tourists who stay up all night and enjoy themselves are happy, the tourists who visit with their families are more aggrieved. Although some bars and dance bars have been operated systematically by installing sound-proof technology, hoteliers complain that there are problems due to discos and clubs that operate against the standards.
Sahdev Dhamala, the owner of Kathmandu Eco Hotel, said that due to some discos, bars and clubs, the problem of noise pollution has increased in Thamel. “Some clubs and disco bars have disturbed the guests staying in the hotels when they operate without sound proofing,” said Dhamala, “The commotion has affected the tourists.” Hoteliers are also complaining that there is a problem due to the lax monitoring by the police and administration.
Due to noise pollution, tourists are complaining that the bookings of hotels have been canceled by tourists. Rajesh Shakya of Kathmandu Guest House said that tourists have also canceled bookings due to loud music. "As the government did not set the standards, tourists who wanted to sleep at 10 pm-11 pm left the hotel and went elsewhere due to the loud music," Shakya said.
After receiving complaints from tourism entrepreneurs and hoteliers, the Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC) said that it has started coordination and initiatives with the concerned agencies to solve the problem of noise pollution.
Bhabishwor Sharma, president of TTDC, said that hoteliers have complained about noise pollution in Thamel of late. "There have been complaints that the guests staying in the hotels in Thamel are disturbed by the sound pollution in the tourist hub," Sharma said. He mentioned that a ‘Thamel management committee’ has been formed to manage the business operations in Thamel. “We have prepared to participate and monitor the security agencies as well. Homework is being done to reduce noise pollution.”
Meanwhile, night business has flourished in Thamel after the government's decision to allow 24-hour operation to help promote tourism. In Thamel, while all kinds of night-time businesses such as hotels, restaurants, dance bars, dance clubs, Dohori Sajha, and lounge bars have flourished, there are complaints from tourists and hoteliers regarding noise pollution.
The then Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand decided to allow tourism businesses i n Thamel to run for 24 hours. Earlier, such businesses used to be closed after 9PM. Hoteliers allege that the police administration is silent in the commotion of discos, bars and clubs and it is suspected that the police are silent due to financial transactions. The demand of the tourism entrepreneurs is to conduct business according to the standards in an orderly manner so that one business does not affect the other.
A number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Kathmandu come to Thamel. About 80 percent of the tourists who come to Nepal visit Thamel. People from various professions go to Thamel for entertainment in the evening to relieve the tiredness of work. The attraction of tourists is also increasing in clubs and lounge restaurants with live music. Lately, there has been an increase in investment in clubs and lounge bars.
