Conservationists decry underground parking plans at Khula Manch

Fear is that the ‘hasty and unilateral’ decision, if put into action, could damage local soil ecology and the aquifer.

On Tuesday, the 10th executive meeting of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) approved a proposal to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for a three-storey underground parking facility and a water recharge pit in the historical Khula Manch (open air theatre) with support from the municipal development fund. Heritage conservationists, groundwater experts and locals, however, are concerned about the plan and worried about the project’s ecological impact.