Pokhara Bus Park: Only election manifesto for 5 decades, scatter’s occupied over acquired land

POKHARA: It has been nearly 50 years since land in Pokhara was acquired for the construction of a systematic bus park. Concurrent with the acquisition of land for the construction of the Pokhara International Regional Airport, land for the construction of the bus park was also acquired.

The plan to build an international airport alongside a bus park was prioritized in the 15-year master plan prepared under the leadership of then Regional Commissioner and City Planning Chairperson Shankar Raj Pathak and planner Padam Bahadur Chhetri.

Following the completion of the master plan, 196 ropani of land in Prithvi Chowk was acquisition. However, due to the carelessness of the parties involved, the land allotted to organize the bus park is disorganized. The land on which the bus park is to be built is now occupied by a smattering of residents. Every election, a commitment to build a bus park is made, but the bus park is never built. Even candidates for local, state, and federal offices use Bus Park as their campaign slogan.

The land of the bus park is full of squatters. There’s no way of knowing how many families live here. The land became narrower after officials from the city development committee sold the land acquired for the bus park’s construction. During the current airport upgrade, the businessmen who were present were relocated to the bus park’s land. At the time, 74 families received subsidized housing.

Following that, the Prithvi Highway road standards were reduced to 150 ropani, and the 205 ropani land transferred from Pokhara Airport and acquired by giving land to some landowners was reduced to 150 ropani. There has been encroachment in the name of scatters on 68 ropani land, which is said to have broken the bank of the river Seti. More than 200 concrete houses have been built around the bus park without a map.

A bus park worth 120 million was decided a few years ago. However, political pressure was ineffective. The provincial capital is Pokhara. The North-South Corridor’s transit also becomes the same. The bus park is the most important of the necessary infrastructures.

Prithvi Chowk is the starting point for the Prithvi, Siddhartha, and Bhupi Sherchan Highway. There have been some discussions about the bus park since Pokhara became a metropolitan, but nothing has been finalized.

Following the finalization of the land, the city development plan has also agreed to invest 80 million in the construction of a bus park. On the remaining land, the metropolitan has launched a campaign to build Leaving the encroached land, now 96 ropani land is left.

The current candidates’ manifestos include plans to construct the same bus park. Bidya Bhattarai and Meena Gurung, both UML candidates, have promised to build an organized bus park in Pokhara. The bus park agenda is also included in the manifestos of alliance candidates Srinath Baral and Bindukumar Thapa.

Thapa, who is also a current Member of Parliament, stated that some initiatives were launched following his election victory. “Previously, there was only an announcement and no work. Some parts were sloped after I was elected,’ he explained. Bidya Bhattarai, a candidate for House of Representatives and outgoing MP, also stated that she was unable to work because her previous term was not long enough.

‘The by-election was forced to be held. I won the election. However, not much work could be accomplished “She stated. “The bus park will be the main focus of the new term’s work. ‘I make this pledge.’ Other candidates have also pledged not to campaign in the bus stop.

espite allocating budgets each year, the state government and the Pokhara metropolis have not been able to build a bus park because they have not been able to solve the problem of scatters.

-Prakash Dhakal/MK