Five-Story House Built on Firkhe Khola by Former Maoist Leader; He Admits: ‘I Gambled and Lost’
Pokhara Metropolitan City has begun deploying bulldozers to demolish illegal structures constructed by encroaching on Firkhe Khola. Former Maoist leader Gyanbahadur Koirala has admitted to building a five-story house on Firkhe Khola in violation of regulations. In total, 35 individuals and 11 organizations have illegally erected permanent structures encroaching on the river. 11 Jestha, Pokhara.
“Oh! A five-story house on the river? How could that have been built?” citizens gathered at the site where the Metropolitan City was operating bulldozers on Monday expressed astonishment. Indeed, a large five-story house stood right over Pokhara’s Firkhe Khola. Located behind Paryang in Ward No. 5, in Laxmi Tol, the grand mansion with numerous rooms and windows built over the river has drawn significant attention. While many locals know who owns it, others remain curious.
Gyanbahadur is a former Maoist leader. After the Maoist peace process, he served for an extended period in the multi-party mechanism of Pokhara Metropolitan City. Prior to local elections, this multi-party body played a role in policy formulation and development projects of the metropolitan. Ironically, the person responsible for overseeing development, regulation, and good governance in the city has violated state law by constructing structures atop the riverbank—moreover, not just one but two such buildings. The city’s bulldozing campaign, launched Sunday, initially targeted areas downstream of the Firkhe Khola bridge.
Gyanbahadur acknowledged that he built the house without adhering to standards or obtaining proper permission. He said, “I gambled; I knew I might lose someday.” He indicated that the house was constructed on the Firkhe Khola about four years ago. “Since I wasn’t granted permission according to regulations, I built it accepting whatever consequences might come later,” he stated. He has suffered both financial and social losses due to illegal gambling.
Similar to Gyanbahadur, 35 individuals and 11 institutions have unlawfully constructed permanent houses and buildings on Firkhe Khola. Even government bodies have exploited the riverbank. Educational institutions like Pokhara Engineering College and Little Step School have occupied significant portions of the river. The approximately 8-kilometer-long Firkhe Khola has not only faced rapid development pressure in recent decades but has consistently been a center of controversy and public debate.
