Home Minister Sudan Gurung Breaks Silence on Phewa Lake Land Controversy
Home Minister Sudan Gurung has issued an statement addressing allegations over his connection to land near Phewa Lake in Pokhara that falls within the restricted 65-metre buffer zone.
In his statement, Gurung said that around 8 to 10 years ago, he and two other young friends leased -not purchased - land in a remote and undeveloped area near Pokhara with the aim of promoting rural tourism and local development. He clarified that the land was never registered in his name. He said they were told at the time that the land did not fall within the 65-metre protected zone, and were even shown land ownership documents to confirm this. Based on that assurance, they began investing in the project.
However, Gurung stated that they later get the information from the Pokhara Metropolitan City that the land did in fact fall within the restricted zone. This forced them to stop all construction work, putting their entire investment at risk.
"Our investment and our dreams both sank. We realized we had been deceived," Gurung said in his statement.
He added that despite feeling cheated, they remained silent so as not to cause trouble to others. Gurung said it would not be appropriate to continue paying rent on land that has now been declared illegal, and announced that he and his partners have decided to pursue legal action in the matter.
MP Harka Sampang of the Shram Sanskriti Party had earlier called on the minister to publicly clarify the allegations, stating it was a matter of ethics and public trust.
Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya has said that no land registered in Gurung's name has been found in Kaski District, and that authorities are still working with land revenue and survey offices to verify all land parcels within the lake boundary.
The demolition of illegal structures around Phewa Lake is ongoing, following a Supreme Court verdict and a directive from Prime Minister Balendra Shah's government as part of its 100-point reform agenda.
