Kathmandu, 6 April: Home Minister Sudhan Gurung has been found to have leased 10 ropani of land near Phewa Lake in Pokhara from local residents for 15 years, reportedly to operate adventure tourism activities. During the Pokhara Metropolitan City’s campaign to remove illegal structures around Phewa Lake, it was revealed that Gurung had taken the land on lease and had not paid rent for the past seven years.
The land, located in Simle Lamdanda across Phewa Lake, was leased by Sudhan in 2017 (2074 BS) with an agreement to pay an annual rent of NPR 200,000. However, according to the landowners, he paid rent for only one year.
The land had been used by three sons of Reshamlal Gurung, four sons of Mekh Bahadur Gurung, and Birkha Bahadur Gurung. According to Om Bahadur Gurung, the middle son of Mekh Bahadur, 6 ropani of the land has official ownership certificates, while the rest has been used informally after land partition.
After Pokhara Metropolitan Mayor Dhanraj Acharya told journalists that “even the Home Minister’s land falls within Phewa Lake and instructions have been given to demolish structures there,” Kantipur’s investigation found that Sudhan had not purchased the land but had leased it. In a conversation with Kantipur, landowner Om Bahadur said, “I have asked the Home Minister to come into contact and pay the rent.”
Meanwhile, Home Minister Gurung has claimed that he was deceived into signing the agreement. “I found out later. Now that I am the Home Minister, I will seek legal remedy,” he said.
The leased land lies in Pokhara Metropolitan City–22, directly across from the paragliding landing site. In the same year he leased the land, Sudhan began constructing buildings and other structures. According to Om Bahadur, Sudhan had planned to operate an adventure activity that would sling people into the water (like a catapult), along with building a swimming pool and other facilities. Om Bahadur estimates that around NPR 10–15 million was spent on tin-roofed buildings, swimming pool materials, and interior setups.
At the time of the lease, the land was directly connected to Phewa Lake. However, according to Om Bahadur, flooding from the Harpan River gradually filled parts of the lake, turning water areas into खेत (farmland). Before the planned structures could be completed, disputes arose between Sudhan and neighboring landowners.
“They used to get along very well at first, but later conflicts emerged, even reaching the police,” Om Bahadur said. “Then the metropolitan office instructed that nothing should be built here, so the project was left abandoned.”
Sudhan had paid one year’s rent at the time of the agreement. “There was a provision to increase rent every five years. He paid only for one year, and after that everything fell apart,” Om Bahadur said. “He couldn’t recover his investment, and we also couldn’t use the land for farming.”
Om Bahadur said that both parties still have copies of the lease agreement. According to him, Sudhan has not returned since leaving the land. “He is not in contact. We don’t even have his phone number,” he said. “If he is not going to continue, the agreement should be terminated. We are stuck, and we haven’t received rent.”
Om Bahadur has urged the Home Minister to get in touch: “You are now the Home Minister, please come into contact. Let’s sit and discuss. If you want to continue, continue; if not, you must pay the rent so far. The agreement should be mutually canceled.”
