KATHMANDU, Jan 2: Local residents and conservationists have staged a protest against the plan to build an underground parking lot in Tundikhel.
Agitating locals, who are running a pressure campaign demanding to return Tundikhel to its original condition, staged a demonstration in front of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office in Sundhara on Monday morning.
The agitating locals came to protest at the main entrance of the KMC office, demanding that the metropolis withdraw its plan to build the underground parking.
Withdraw plan to build parking lot in Tundikhel
Conservationists have been running the 'Occupy Tundikhel' campaign at the civic level. As part of the same campaign, a demonstration was held in front of the Municipality office on Monday morning.
Prior to this, a campaign of 'Occupy Tundikhel' was launched for three months demanding the return of Tundikhel. The activists said that the demonstration was held today on the occasion of World Independence Day to show solidarity with the campaign.
Locals are also meeting KMC Mayor Balandra Sah (Balen) and Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol to submit a memorandum to them. Earlier, they had been publicly warning the KMC not to proceed with the plan. The protest began after KMC said that it will prepare a detailed project report.
KMC has moved ahead with the plan to build a three-storey underground parking lot inside the open platform of Tundikhel, known as the 'lung' of Kathmandu. The KMC, which has given the responsibility of the study to the Urban Development Fund, has not conducted any discussion on this plan at the local level.
