Photo: Bibek Bibash Regmi/Himal Press
ITAHARI: It has been found that the building of Nar Bahadur Karmacharya Memorial Foundation is constructed on private land.
The building stands on the land owned by Anita Pariyar in Yakthung Chowk in Itahari-3 of Sunsari. Interestingly, the building, funded by the state, serves as the residence for Anita’s family and CPN (Maoist Center) leader Bahadur Singh Tamang (Jawala).
The building covers 10 dhurs of land in approximately one and a half kattha of land under Anita’s ownership. The federal government allocated funds for the building when Anita was a member of the Constituent Assembly.
The funds were released for the purpose of building an ‘agricultural building.’ Before the funds were released, a gathering of local farmers had decided to construct an ‘agriculture building.’ However, the funds were used for the foundation building without informing the farmers, a local farmer who participated in the gathering claimed. “The funds were allocated from Anita’s Parliamentary Development Fund and the federal government budget,” the farmer added.
The construction of a three-storied building, including a truss structure, was completed three years ago. However, its design hasn’t been approved by the concerned authorities. Although officials of the foundation contend that construction work commenced only after the design was approved, Itahari Sub-metropolitan City doesn’t have any documents about the building’s design.
Nar Bahadur Karmacharya Memorial Foundation is associated with the ruling CPN (Maoist Center). Maoist Center Vice Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha chairs the foundation. Locals, however, claim that Shrestha has been kept in the dark about the building construction process.
Although officials of the foundation have been claiming that the land has already come under the foundation’s ownership, the ownership of the land hasn’t been transferred in the federation’s name yet. Officials of the foundation intend to set up administrative offices of Nar Bahadur Karmacharya Memorial School, which the foundation is operating in Itahari-9, to the new building. The school is still operating in a rented building even though construction of the foundation’s building was completed three years ago.
Maoist Center leader Jwala told Himal Press that preparations have begun to bring the land under the foundation’s ownership. “It may take some time due to the cumbersome process,” he added.
Sunsari district chairman of the foundation, Ek Chandra Baral, claimed that the construction of the building was completed three years ago and that its design has been approved by the Itahari Sub-metropolitan City. “We have already taken a formal decision to bring the land under the foundation’s ownership,” Baral said, responding to a query on why the building was constructed on private land.
