KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) House of Representatives from Kathmandu Constituency-3, Raju Nath Pandey, has been accused of using a bulldozer to demolish a section of the wall surrounding the Gokarna forest area, which is under the security supervision of the Nepali Army.
The incident occurred along a roughly 200-meter stretch of road between Makalbari and Gokarna Temple in Gokarneshwor Municipality-4. According to local officials, the municipality had already been coordinating with the army and other authorities to relocate the wall in a legal and procedural manner as part of the Bagmati Corridor road expansion project.
Witnesses said Pandey arrived at the site with a bulldozer and proceeded to begin demolition without presenting any written order. An argument reportedly took place between the lawmaker and Nepali Army officer Captain Anupman Shrestha, who asked for an official authorization letter before the work could proceed.
When asked for documentation, Pandey was heard saying, “Whose letter do you need? No one needs permission to open a corridor road. I know the standards.” Shrestha insisted that he needed a written document for reporting purposes.
Pandey reportedly replied that the letter would come later and that the wall would be demolished immediately. He also referred to the Nepal Trust, which owns the land, and said he had received clear instructions.
Army officials informed him that there was a military barrack inside the forest area and that wildlife, including deer and barking deer, was being protected there. Pandey responded that no barrack was bigger than the people.
Supporters accompanying the lawmaker reportedly chanted slogans in his favor while the bulldozer was operating.
The forest area from Gokarna to Dakshindhoka has long been protected by a boundary wall and military security to prevent timber theft and protect wildlife. However, the wall falls within land owned by the Nepal Trust, and road widening under the Bagmati Corridor project requires shifting it by about 25 feet.
Gokarneshwor Municipality says it had already obtained approval from the Nepal Trust on Jestha 4, 2082 BS, written to the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority on Asar 1, and allocated Rs 2.5 million through the municipal assembly on Asar 22 for reconstruction of the wall and road improvement. The municipality planned to begin work after the monsoon rains subsided.
Mayor Dipak Risal said he was surprised by the sudden demolition and accused Pandey of intervening in a process that was already moving forward legally. “We had completed the procedures and were preparing to carry out the road expansion. The lawmaker appears to have gone there to take credit for work being done by the municipality,” he said.
Pandey denied acting arbitrarily and claimed the municipality had failed to make progress for years. He said he had coordinated with the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority and the Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, and that the bulldozer had been brought from the authority itself.
Ward Chair Jayaram Mahat said Pandey had coordinated with him, though he was unaware whether coordination had taken place with the municipality.
Nepali Army spokesperson Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet said discussions were ongoing with the concerned authorities and that further comments would be made only after coordination was completed.
