KATHMANDU: The Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers has issued a directive urging stakeholders to delay the implementation of a Supreme Court decision mandating a 20-meter border on the banks of the Bagmati River and its tributaries. The Supreme Court had ruled last December that no structures could be constructed within 30 meters of the riverbanks in the Kathmandu Valley.
According to National News Agency Nepal, a communiqué from the Prime Minister’s office instructs government bodies, local authorities, and financial institutions in the Kathmandu Valley not to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision immediately. The decision to postpone comes as the Supreme Court has allowed a review of a petition filed by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers challenging the original ruling.
The communiqué requests the concerned parties to hold off on implementing the 20-meter boundary until the review petition is resolved. This move reflects ongoing legal and administrative cons
iderations regarding urban planning and environmental protection along the Bagmati River, a crucial waterway in the region.