Kathmandu, December 17

With the relocation of fish from Ranipokhari, the office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City is all set to clean up the pond before giving it a face-lift.

The pond has not been cleaned for nearly 400 years. The KMC has awarded the contract for the remodelling of Ranipokhari to Worldwide Kandel KNKG JV. The historical pond is projected to have a green cover, a musical fountain, walking trails, pavements, benches, and resting platforms.

Gardens, open spaces, table tennis courts, and basketball courts will also be built. Likewise, the musical fountain installed in Ranipokhari during the 18th SAARC Summit at the cost of Rs 35 million will be regularly maintained and operated every evening.

A KMC official said that over 3,000 fish have been shifted to Balaju, Kamalpokhari, and Ratna Park ponds from Ranipokhari after it was drained. “The contractor will clean up the pond before refilling it,” he informed. The process of fencing its premises is also under way.

The reconstruction of the Balgopaleshwor temple, which stands in the middle of Ranipokhari, will be undertaken by the Department of Archaeology. The temple was damaged in the devastating earthquake of April 25, 2015.

Though President Bidhya Devi Bhandari had inaugurated the Ranipokhari reconstruction project on January 16, it got delayed due to a dispute between the KMC and the DoA over construction materials used by the metropolis in rebuilding the temple.

Later, the government had decided to pass the responsibility of rebuilding the structure to the DoA. The historic structure of religious importance dates back to 1670 AD, and is considered among the most famous landmarks in Kathmandu.