Prakash Kafle/Kathmandu. It has been revealed that current Home Minister Sudan Gurung had proposed a plan to operate water-based recreational activities at Fewa Lake in Pokhara. In collaboration with a hotel business in Pokhara, he had prepared a proposal to run “water sports” and submitted it to the metropolitan office.
According to a metropolitan official, Gurung’s group presented a plan through a PowerPoint presentation, proposing that if Fewa Lake were entrusted to them, they would operate various water sports activities. In 2075 B.S., Pokhara Metropolitan City had invited proposals to operate such activities at Fewa Lake and Begnas Lake under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
At that time, five companies had applied, among which Atithi Resort was selected. According to former economic chief Jayaram Paudel, the resort’s proposal was accepted. The resort’s operator, Motiprasad Paudel, also confirmed that Gurung’s team had collaborated in preparing the plan. He stated that the concept, design, and technical aspects of the project were prepared by Gurung’s team, while only the company name of the resort was used. The proposal included around 75 types of water sports, ranging from cruise operations to nighttime activities on the lake. The plan was brought forward with the aim of adding new tourism activities in Pokhara.
Sudan Gurung had envisioned doing something innovative after purchasing land near the shore of Fewa Lake, which became the basis for the partnership plan. He had bought land near the lake specifically to operate water sports. However, Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya later informed that the land falls within the lake’s regulatory boundary. According to the mayor, Gurung had expressed readiness to vacate the land through legal procedures if necessary.
Despite being selected, the final agreement between the metropolitan office and the company could not be concluded. The main reason was continuous opposition from local boat operators, who argued that new types of water sports would negatively affect their business. Ultimately, due to this opposition, the then leadership decided not to proceed with the agreement process.
फेवाताल किनारमा सुदन गुरुङको २० रोपनी जग्गा, वाटर स्पोर्ट्स योजना सार्वजनिक
