Kathmandu: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), assisted by city police personnel, demolished encroached structures at Gaushala Chowk on Friday afternoon, using two bulldozers. The operation followed a ruling by the Kathmandu District Court on Thursday, which clarified the legal ownership of the property and authorized strict actions against unauthorized constructions.
The demolition targeted temporary and permanent structures built on the Ring Road boundary without approval. Locals staged protests as bulldozers arrived, opposing the operation. Despite the resistance, city police cordoned off the area, and several protesters were detained during the operation.
The court’s verdict specified that the Marwadi Sewa Samiti (MSS) had no legal claim over the Pashupati Gaushala Dharmashala, which is owned by the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT). Judge Kamal Prasad Pokharel’s single bench concluded there was no lease agreement granting MSS indefinite rights to use the Dharmashala. This decision empowered PADT to evict MSS and allowed KMC to proceed with demolishing structures built without approved plans.
The conflict stems from a 2003 BS memorandum of understanding between Amalkot Kachahari (now PADT) and MSS, which outlined specific conditions for using the land. The agreement prohibited private ownership, banned the sale of meat or alcohol, and mandated the preservation of the bull sanctuary associated with Pashupatinath. It also stated that the property would revert to PADT when the structures were closed.
Despite this, MSS had been paying a nominal annual fee of Rs 51,000 to PADT while using the Gaushala structures for commercial purposes and constructing additional buildings. The court’s ruling not only upheld PADT’s ownership but also addressed the misuse of the land, paving the way for its reclamation.