Kathmandu, August 27 :

A sub-committee of the Parliamentary Natural Resources Committee formed to investigate King’s property has found the royal family is associated with 17 different private companies.

According to details sent by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply to the sub-committee, the King and other members of royal family have separate investments in Hotel Soaltee, Soaltee enterprises, Annapurna Hotel, Gorkha Travels Pvt Ltd, Surya Tobacco

Pvt Ltd, Laxmi Banaspati Ghee Industry, Himalaya Tea Garden and Hotel Shansha Himal International, Sipradi Trading, Bhotekoshi Power Company, Himal International Energy Pvt Ltd, Himal International Power Corporation, Surya Enterprises, Laxmi Katha Industry Pvt Ltd, Gorkha Lurry Pvt Ltd, Ne Bi Co Pvt Ltd, and Laxmi Rozin and Terpentine Industry.

The sub-committee, headed by member of parliament Subash Karmachrya, was formed to investigate the properties of King Gyanendra and his kin. It has directed the government to send details of land owned by those companies.

As the committee has understood that the King and other royal family members own a lots of Guthi land (land owned by trust of temples, shrines and mosques), it has decided to ask the government to furnish details about those properties.

According to the details provided by the government to the Committee on August 13, the King and the royal family own 39,424 ropanis of land in Kathmandu Valley and hilly districts; and over 127 bighas of land in Terai.

Although the Parliamentary Public Account Committee (PAC) had asked the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet to furnish details of assets of the King and royal family for several times, the authorities concerned are yet to provide the details. MPs said they will

ask the palace secretariat directly to provide details if the government fails to provide the details to PAC.