Himal Press 
Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya
POKHARA: Pokhara Metropolitan City has unveiled its policies and programs for the fiscal year 2024/25, which begins in mid-July, putting a strong emphasis on developing the lake city as a tourism hub.
The metropolis, which has been declared the tourism capital of the country, has set an ambitious plan to attract 1.5 million visitors by declaring 2025 as ‘Visit Pokhara Year’, to attract 60% of the country’s foreign tourist arrivals to the city.
Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya has announced several infrastructure projects to achieve the targets. These include constructing an entrance gateway at Simpani, building a dam on Fewa Lake, developing a multi-facility entrance park at Kotre Majuwa, and creating Fewa Beach on upstream of Fewa Lake. Urban development initiatives include building walking trails to heritage areas, transforming Ratna Mandir into a Palace Museum, and introducing satellite bus parks, multi-story parking facilities and a metro taxi service.
The city also has its sights set on environmental sustainability, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2043 and implementing a smart transportation system with increased use of electric vehicles. To diversify its tourism offerings, the metropolis has announced plans to develop lake-to-lake, cave-to-cave and fort-to-fort hiking routes, and establish at least one tourist destination in each of the city’s 33 wards.
Major projects in the pipeline include an International Convention Center, a glass bridge at David’s Fall, tourism infrastructure development in the Seti River Gorge, and a waste processing center. The metropolis has also proposed free public transport for senior citizens, health insurance for low-income residents and free basic services for vulnerable groups.
On the economic front, the metropolis plans to modernize its revenue collection system, implement GIS tracking for property taxes, and establish a business incubation center for startups. Through these comprehensive measures, Pokhara aims to position itself as a leading tourism destination while balancing sustainable development, environmental preservation, and social welfare.
The city plans to simplify and digitize its revenue collection system, enabling residents to pay taxes online from home. Likewise, the metropolis will implement a GIS tracking system to streamline property, land, and building taxes.
Likewise, it plans to introduce a project bank management system and link development expenditures to employment opportunities.
For disaster management, the metropolis has announced to set up a local emergency operation center and an early warning system. A rapid response team will be formed for search, rescue, and relief efforts, and a disaster management center will be set up, the policies and programs read.
In line with the ‘Digital Pokhara’ concept, the metropolis has said that it would develop an integrated information and service delivery system while announcing plans to establish a business incubation center in collaboration with the private sector to foster innovation and startups.
To promote sustainable agriculture, the metropolis will designate organic farming pockets and will also encourage farmers to plant alternative crops to reduce crop damage from wildlife.
