KATHMANDU, Sept 11: Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) has stated that the Supreme Court (SC)'s order to extend the riverbank measurement for Kathmandu Valley rivers by an additional 20 meters has led to the “emergence of an opportunistic character”.

In a social media post, he remarked that the disagreement and reluctance to follow the SC's order by the Prime Minister and others, despite the order having been issued three years ago, reflects the attitude of “The trouble is over, but the grief comes too late.”

He wrote: "Before you knew that I might run for the position of Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, you should have known that three years ago, on August 5, 2019, a bench of justices Dr Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Sapana Pradhan Malla issued a 12-point order to increase the riverbank buffer zone by an additional 20 meters. At that time, the Prime Minister was Khadga Prasad Oli, the same person who appointed Attorney General Agni Prasad Kharel, and the same party (CPN-UML) that appointed Bagmati Chief Minister Dormani Poudel and Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya. They all sent their secretaries and relevant staff to argue their case. The court made its decision after reviewing the riverbank utilization plan presented by the parties. This is the court's process: it listens to arguments from both sides and then makes a decision. If the decision is unsatisfactory, there is the right to appeal."

Mayor Balen further writes, “Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, Bagmati Chief Minister Dormani Poudel, and Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya - none of them appeal the decision. This means that none of them disagreed with the SC ruling.”

“The answer we seek is why they did not appeal the decision at that time. We could ask if it was because they lacked the insight back then, or if their strategy has changed now,” Balen writes, “We must question this opportunistic behavior of "The trouble is over, but the grief comes too late."

Our constant advice is to adhere to these guidelines when planning construction on river and streambank areas, approving maps, dealing with property transactions, or using property as collateral. Otherwise, you might face complications later if the government introduces new regulations.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stated on September 9, 2024 that it is not possible to implement the Supreme Court's decision to leave an additional 20 meters along the riverbanks of the Kathmandu Valley.

Prime Minister Oli made this statement during a meeting with the Valley-Wide Road Expansion Victim Struggle Committee and the River Standards Concern Group.

The PM said that only a few people, who are trying to appear important and do not care about the public, are happy with the SC's decision. He mentioned that this ruling by the Supreme Court would wipe out permanent settlements of the people. He further stated that leaving 20 meters on both sides during new expansions would result in a quarter of Kathmandu being lost. He claimed that the Supreme Court's decision was made without adequate study.

He also stated that the government, considering the decision inappropriate, has decided to seek a review (vacate) of the decision. Prime Minister Oli mentioned that the Supreme Court should understand the problems and concerns of the people. He expressed confidence that the decision would be overturned during the review and that the previous standards would be reinstated. He emphasized that the existing issues should be resolved in a positive manner, without imposing hardships on the people.

Here is the status from Mayor Balen that follows Prime Minister Oli’'s comments on the SC ruling:

 
• Mayor_Balendra_Shah
 
• remark
 
• KP_Oli
 
• SC's_verdict
 
• leave_additional_20_meters
 
• riverbank