POKHARA: Following prolonged efforts, the Pokhara Metropolitan City has successfully initiated the removal of encroachments along the Phirke Khola.

The plan to clear encroachments from this stream, which flows through the heart of the city, was originally conceived by representatives during the previous local government term.

At that time, the then-mayor Man Bahadur GC had even initiated the drive using bulldozers.

However, that initiative ground to a halt after just one day. Local residents had gone as far as approaching the court to protest the enforcement of the Phirke criteria.

Due to these legal hurdles and various other reasons, previous attempts to clear the encroachments could not succeed.

This time, with strong backing from the federal government, Pokhara Metropolitan City commenced the demolition of structures built over the riverbed on Sunday.

The operation concluded peacefully on its first day. A total of 35 permanent and 97 temporary private/individual structures have been built over the riverbed.

Similarly, there are 18 permanent and 10 temporary institutional structures built illegally.

The metropolis has stated that the encroachment removal drive will continue as an ongoing campaign.

Local residents have also supported the metropolitan city’s efforts to clear the riverbed. While locals agree that structures built directly over the stream must be removed, they have expressed reservations regarding the subsequent right-of-way criteria.

Citizens living in the Phirke area complain that the proposed 6-meter criteria is neither scientific nor practical.

Once the Phirke riverbed is cleared, the metropolitan city plans to launch the Phirke Corridor Project.

The metropolis shared that financial assistance for this project will be secured from donor agencies. City Mayor Dhan Raj Acharya stated that the Phirke Corridor Project is a visionary campaign aimed at establishing Pokhara as a “green, clean, modern, and world-class river-corridor city.”

According to Mayor Acharya, the core concept of the Phirke Corridor involves maintaining a minimum 6-meter criteria on both sides of the Phirke stream to construct managed footpaths, safe bicycle lanes, and attractive pathways for morning and evening walks.

“The goal is to give a new urban identity to the Phirke stream by connecting it with natural beauty, environmental balance, tourism, and civic lifestyle. While preserving the natural flow of the stream, both banks will be adorned with green belts, indigenous plants, stone embankments, smart LED lighting, and eco-friendly public open spaces,” Mayor Acharya said.

The metropolitan city’s plan includes building rest stops in the traditional Pokhara architectural style, coffee points, open-air cafes, selfie points, viewpoints, small open parks with resting chautaris (stone platforms), cultural and artistic structures, as well as child-friendly and elderly-friendly open spaces at various intervals along the corridor.

“We will transform the Phirke Corridor into more than just a walkway; it will become a public destination for lifestyle and recreation.

This will become the new urban identity of future Pokhara, creating a beautiful confluence of nature, modern infrastructure, tourism, health, environment, and civic lifestyle,” Acharya added.

Lok Nath Bhandari, a resident of Ganesh Tol in Pokhara, states that after demolishing structures built along the riverbed, the metropolitan city must introduce proper management and a sustainable development plan.

“We, the locals, are supportive of the efforts to clear the Phirke Khola. However, arbitrary standards cannot be applied to private land in the name of criteria enforcement. If the metropolis needs the land, it must provide compensation. Once the structures around Phirke are demolished, a plan for its systematic development must be brought forward,” Bhandari said.

Spanning from Adherikuna in Pokhara Ward No. 18 and passing through Ward Nos. 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 17, the Phirke stream stretches eight kilometers long before merging into the tourist destination of Phewa Lake at Gaighat in Ward No. 6.