BHAKTAPUR, JUNE 14

People of Bode Ward No 8 in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality today staged a sit-in on the premises of Patan High Court demanding restoration of the local historical Kamal Pokhari (pond) as a public entity.

The pond, which is called Paliswan Pukhu in the Newari language, is believed to be hundreds of years old and is regarded as the natural heritage of religious, historic and cultural importance.

It took years for the Bode people to know that the historic pond had been transferred in the name of private individuals through collusion.

They came to know that the land has been grabbed by the land mafia just a few years ago when a bulldozer was used on the land. This incident was a total shock for them.

Following this incident, the locals decided the challenge the unlawful act of land mafia in the court. Since then they have been struggling to reclaim public ownership of the pond.

It was revealed that 15 ropanis (one ropani is equivalent to 5,476 square feet) and nine anas (one ana is equivalent to 342.25 square feet) land belonging to the pond based in the then Bode Gaun Panchayat was registered as private property in the name of Kanchhi Podeni on July 15, 1985, and it was transferred to Gyalpo Gurung of Manang temporally residing in Thamel, Kathmandu, on 5 February 1995.

According to locals, of the total land, 13.9 ropani was registered in the name of Gyalpo, one ropani in the name of Tenzi Sherpini, and one in the name of Karsi Jadhonga Gurung. Gyalpo had later sold the land to different individuals.

Local Ganeshman Chakradhar took the lead in seeking legal remedy in the case. Under his convenership, Kamal Pokhari (Paliswan Pukhu) Conservation Committee was formed. They filed a writ at the District Court, Bhaktapur, on 3 July 2018, asking the court to rule out the registration of the pond as a private entity.

The court recognised the pond as public property, ordered its restoration and conservation. People who purchased the land moved Patan High Court against the verdict of the district court.

Bode folks visited the high court as they had received unofficial reports that the court verdict would come today. They want the high court to uphold the district court verdict. Former mayor Madan Sundar Shrestha, Pond Conservation Committee Coordinator Chakradhar, Ward No 8 Chair Ramesh Thapa and people's representatives, municipality staff, former people's representatives and representatives of different parties joined the sit-in.

Former mayor Shrestha said with the verdict of the district court, the local government had allocated Rs 7.5 million to undertake pond-targeted conservation efforts. The pond was already rebuilt using conventional construction materials.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 15, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.