Kathmandu, February 4:

The Supreme Court today gave a go ahead to the Chamati Land Integration Project by quashing a writ petition filed by a group of locals against the project.

A division bench of Justices Anup Raj Sharma and Damodar Prasad Sharma issued a verdict to that effect.

The bench stated that the demand of the locals to halt the project could not be accepted as

the land project was pro-people.

The bench, however, directed the government authorities — including the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Committee — to involve locals in developing structures on the land project.

It stated that the authorities should introduce a policy of respecting the rights of the local people while launching the project.

“Since the writ petition was filed to protect certain individuals’ rights rather than safeguarding the interest of the public at large, the petition cannot be accepted,” the bench stated.

Challenging the project, a group of locals had moved the apex court some six months ago, claiming that the project displaced 885 households through unauthorised acquisition of land.