Prakash Kafle/Kathmandu. Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has come under serious controversy after the five-star Hotel Tulip in Lalitpur, where it conducted an orientation training for its Members of Parliament, was found to be constructed against the approved building design and with illegal structures. After these facts came to light, the issue has reached the center of political and social debate.
According to the officially approved map from Lalitpur Metropolitan City, ‘Massif Hotel Pvt. Ltd.’ had received permission to construct only a building of 6 floors along with two basement levels. The map was approved with the signature of the metropolitan mayor Chiribabu Maharjan. However, ignoring the approved standards, the hotel operator is accused of constructing and operating an 11-storey structure. The claim that additional structures not even mentioned in the map have been built shows a blatant violation of urban development rules. It has also been found that not only the building height but environmental standards have been violated during construction. Specifically, there is an allegation that the area of the river under the ‘Karmanasha Corridor’ has been encroached upon. According to the rules, at least 10 meters must be left from the riverbank, but evidence has been found claiming that the structure was built without maintaining this standard. This has led to strong criticism at the local level, accusing the hotel of illegally occupying public property. The hotel was constructed through ‘Massif Hotel Pvt. Ltd.’, whose operator is controversial businessman and media figure Rajendra Shakya. Shakya was arrested on Mangsir 16 by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police. He faces serious allegations of involvement in activities that caused significant financial loss to Prabhu Bank Limited and of committing banking offenses.
Although the hotel was planned as a five-star facility according to the approved design, the allegations of widespread irregularities during construction have raised questions about its legality. The fact that a political party advocating good governance and the rule of law conducted its training in such a controversial structure has drawn further criticism.
This incident has once again brought into focus the relationship between political parties, local government, and private businesses, as well as issues of irregularities and rule violations in urban development. There is a growing demand for concerned authorities to conduct an impartial investigation and make the truth public.
Now, it remains to be seen what the RSP— which constantly preaches good governance— will do next.
अवैध होटलमा राष्ट्रिय स्वतन्त्र पार्टी(रास्वपा)को सांसद तालिम: ६ तलाको पास, ११ तलाको राज!
