KATHMANDU, Dec 27: The Ward Office of Pokhara Metropolitan City-6 has fined organizers of IME Nepal Literature Festival with Rs. 10,000 for chopping 24 trees without seeking permission while making their stage at Barahi Ghat's ground.
The organizers' action comes at a time when the Supreme Court has ordered the government to declare Fewa Lake as a protected watershed area amid its shrinking size.
Interim order to stop chopping trees
Provided that chopping trees do not affect the environment, the municipality gives the permit to fell trees. However, Bookworm, the event's organizer, did so without permission.
Bishnu Hari Adhikari, coordinator of Civil Society-Pokhara had filed a complaint against the organizers at the municipality. The latter, then, had slapped the fine of Rs. 10,000 on Bookworm Foundation.
"They had chopped around 24 trees. We've fined them to aware them from next time. It takes years for trees to grow and we don't want others to repeat the mistake again," Jagat Bahadur Pahari, chairperson of Ward no 6 said.
But the organizers have said that the trees were trimmed and have admitted that it was an oversight on the organizer's part and have confessed that they have trimmed without the permission from the municipality.
The seventh edition of IME Nepal Literature Festival was held from December 22 to 25. The festival convened politicians, litterateurs, artists, journalists, actors to carry out discourses on diverse issues.
