Nepal Demolishes 1,200 Illegal Structures Along Kathmandu Rivers

Kathmandu, Nepal – Authorities in Nepal demolished more than 1,200 illegal temporary and permanent structures along the banks of the Bagmati and Manohara rivers in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur districts over the weekend, as part of a government campaign to restore riverbanks and manage landless settlements.

The operation, which began early Saturday and continued through Sunday, targeted areas including Thapathali, Gairigaun, Sinamangal, Shantinagar, and Mahara. Officials from the federal government, in coordination with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City administration, deployed thousands of security personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and municipal police to carry out the demolitions using bulldozers. Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafley reported that 1,272 structures had been removed from four sites by Sunday, with around 380 more identified for demolition in Manohara and Gairegaun on Monday and Tuesday.

The drive affected hundreds of families, with estimates indicating about 871 squatter households across the targeted zones, including 143 in Thapathali, 162 in Gairigaun, and 476 in Shantinagar. Security teams assisted residents in removing belongings, using...