They have agreed to collectively fight against ill attempts of land mafia to change the regular course of the stream, Municipality Executive Officer Mitramani Pokhrel said.

A meeting of local parties last Thursday decided to take all measures to foil land mafia's plan to change the river course and locals agreed to join hands with political parties to that end.

It may be noted that land mafia here have been making attempts since the past few years to convert the course of river flow towards Madhyapur Thimi Municipality from Balkot and plot the land occupied by the river and sell it. The Madhyapur Thimi folks and land mafias had clashed many times in the past when the locals protested against the encroachment on public property.

A writ petition was filed at the Supreme Court against land mafia's move in which the Court issued an interim order to stop works of changing the river course. But ignoring the court order, land mafias are still going with their ill moves to fulfill their petty interests. RSS