Mayor Balen Criticizes Government's Reluctance to Implement Supreme Court’s Riverbank Buffer Zone Expansion

Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) expressed concerns over the reluctance of the Prime Minister and other leaders to implement the Supreme Court’s order, issued three years ago, to expand riverbank buffer zones by an additional 20 meters in the Kathmandu Valley.

In a social media post, Mayor Balen criticized the lack of action, referring to this delay as the "emergence of an opportunistic character." He highlighted that the order, made on August 5, 2019, by justices Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Sapana Pradhan Malla, has yet to be followed, despite it being legally binding.

Balen noted that the leaders involved at the time, including Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, Bagmati Chief Minister Dormani Poudel, and Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya, did not appeal the decision. He questioned why there was no objection or action at the time, labeling the current opposition as opportunistic.

Prime Minister Oli, in a recent meeting with the Valley-Wide Road Expansion Victim Struggle Committee, claimed that the SC’s order to leave an additional 20 meters of riverbank would displace significant portions of Kathmandu’s population and was made without proper study. He indicated that the government is seeking a review of the decision, aiming to reverse it to protect the settlements along the rivers.

Mayor Balen responded by questioning why the ruling was not contested earlier and emphasized the importance of adhering to legal guidelines in riverbank construction and property dealings to avoid complications in the future.