Locals protest Eastern Kathmandu New Township Development Project

KATHMANDU: AUGUST 27 – Locals have launched an agitation campaign to protest the Eastern Kathmandu New Township Development Project started by three municipalities of the northeast of the Kathmandu Valley.

Citizens of Shankharapur municipality, Kageshwori Manahara Municipality and Gokarneshwor Municipality have launched the protest programme.

Locals of Shankharapur municipality-9 have submitted a letter of protest at the ward office, municipality and project office, citing the project was started without any consultation with them.

They protested saying the agricultural area, as well as heritages, would be endangered in course of carrying out land plotting at the proposed site after land pooling. The locals submitted the letter of protest at three bodies by forming a local concern and heritages protection committee.

Chairperson of the committee, Dharma Raj Karki, shared that locals have been launching protests as there was no necessity to construct a ‘concrete jungle’ at the area where around 85 per cent of people are dependent on agriculture.

Karki complained that the project chief did not register the committee’s letter. The protest programme has been launched after the Eastern Kathmandu New City Development Project issued a notice regarding freezing the land mortgage.

The project has incorporated the Shankharapur Municipality-9, ward no 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Kageshwori Manohara Municipality and ward no 1, 2 and 4 of Gokarneshwor Municipality.