KATHMANDU, APRIL 19
The Road Division Office, Hetauda, launched a demolition drive in Birgunj early Sunday morning, pulling down structures built in encroachment of the main road under the Tribhuvan Highway.
Around a dozen excavators were deployed from 5 AM to clear encroached structures along a stretch from Gandak Chowk to Miteri Bridge, with 25 metres on each side of the road's centre line marked for clearance. Approximately 1,200 structures are to be demolished in total.
The Hetauda Road Division Office said the drive was being carried out in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling and federal government directives, and that repeated public notices had gone unheeded. This demolition will facilitate the road widening campaign, according to the office.
However, affected residents and traders complained of insufficient notice, saying they had been given less than 12 hours to vacate. According to a local who had a property near Ghantagar, said he had no objection to the demolition itself but that at least a week's notice would have allowed residents to move their belongings voluntarily.
The District Administration Office, Parsa, had issued a notice Saturday evening directing encroachment clearance along the Gandak Chowk–Miteri Bridge stretch by 4:30 AM Sunday.
The operation was carried out under tight security with personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and municipal police. Electricity and internet services in the area remained disrupted until 12:30 PM.