Lal Durbar, the Tukucha River and the rule of law
Once upon a time, we had a library named Central Library in Nepal. The Libray, named "Central Library," was established with the help of USOM (the United States Oversees Mission) and was inaugurated by King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Deb in 1958 (B. A.2016) at Lal Durbar. That Rana Palace was red. We all know we Nepalese call Rato for Red in Nepali. So the palace was named and called Lal Durbar as it was red. It seems they gave a name after the building's colour. The palace was beautiful with its red marbles, mirrors, and chandeliers. According to the sayings, the red marble was brought from Italy, and the mirrors and chandeliers were brought from Europe. The palace was huge in compound and building. Its East border was Hattisar; the West was the near Teendhara Pathshala, the North West was present Narayan Hiti Running Sprout to Jaya Nepal Chitra Ghar (Naxal), and the South was the present Teendhara Pathshala to Tukucha River, Kamal Pokhari Road fenced with the very tall compound wall about of 10 feet height. There were no other houses around. So it was scary to walk that road alone, especially at night. In 1963 that Library was amalgamated with Tribhuvan University Libray and was called Tribhuvan University Library, Lal Durbar. The Library had rented all upper parts - First and Second Floor and the Foreign Post Office was on the ground floor, a beautiful Theatre Hall of the palace. That was the Library where I worked with total dedication and devotion to create a modern, well-organized library in the country with my future wife, Shanti Shrestha (Mishra), the Chief and the legendary lady. The building was far behind the gate. I have a vivid and pleasant memory of the time and its surroundings. Its main gate was at the compound's east side, west of Krishna Pauroti Bhandar, Kamal Pokhari. The building was far behind the gate. I walked to Lal Durbar through Tindhara Pathshala from 1965 (2021) to 1967 (2024) until the Libray moved to Kirtipur.
I remember Boris Lissanevitch, a Russian immigrant, the pioneer of the hotel business in Nepal who established the Royal Hotel at Bahadur Bhawan in 1954. He later opened a fancy restaurant named Yak and Yeti Restaurant and Bar at Lal Durbar original building where the Library was before it moved to Kitrtipur when its new building was ready in 1967. My late wife Shanti Mishra and I knew Boris well; he loved us, and we had a good relationship. Until then, its entrance was in the East of the compound at Kamal Pokhari. Around 1967 and after, the owner of that part of Lal Durbar, our landlord of the rented library building Narayan Shamshere J. B. Rana, started selling that vast agricultural land and garden, including a beautiful pond where they grew lots of corn and soybean. I knew the owner very well because of the library relationship. So I requested him to arrange a small piece of land for me, about one-fourth or half ropani. He arranged with love and kindness for that though he did not sell such a small piece of land to others. I remember he asked me for Rs 9000 for the south roadside plot and Rs 7000 for an inside plot for a half ropani of land. I dropped the idea of buying that land despite his offer, love, and kindness, as I could not afford it then. Many years later, the Yak and Yeti Hotel was built on the western side of this compound.
The east and north parts and the west and north parts of the original palace building remain and are parts of the Yak and Yeti Hotel now, which has a unique beauty. But during my working period at the Lal Durbar building, I never witnessed the existence of the Tukucha River inside this Rana Palace. However, I saw it outside the east and south corner of the compound wall, which we see even today. Because of this, one could picture the existence of the Tukucha River inside the palace compound. I also saw the Tukucha River flowing through the east and south corner of the TrichandraKamaladi road. Though the Tukuchha is also called a river (Khola), I have never heard anyone talking about it as a holy river like other rivers of the Kathmandu Valley; instead, it is talked about as the dirtiest and unholy. There is even a saying in Kathmandu Valley for giving an example of the most polluted, smelly, stinky, and unholy water Tukuja Jasto Phohar (Dirty like Tukuchha). As the news published recently, I have never seen anyone swim like brave Kamal Thapa into the Tukuchha river in my eight decades of life. I also remember when there was a walking path from Kamaladi to Putali Sadak Bagh Bazar Road at the bank of the Tukucha River. There was agricultural land on both sides of this small river with beautiful vegetables and crops without any houses. I often walked through that road to the Putali Sadak to the present Ratna Park Road when Ratna Park did not exist. The area of Present Ratna Park was a part of Tudikhel and opened without any fence. The space opposite side after the road up to the Rani Pokhari's South fence was the KathmanduBhaktapur Transport Station when the present big buses had not appeared in Kathmandu Valley. Small van-type vehicles and small lories were used for transportation. People were taken standing like goats and sheep by lorries to
Bhaktapur.
We often hear about the origins of this beautiful Lal Durbar building that was built by Bir Shumsher J. B. Rana, Shree Teen Maharaj of the Rana Regime, who ruled 1885-1901. We all know the history of the dictatorial rule of the Rana regime when there was no difference between government property and private property. They could own whatever they wished and could possess anything. The country and even our life belonged to them. They could do anything -- love, kill, disrespect, dishonor, confiscate property, etc. I heard they even took somebody's sisters and daughters to make their wives by force when they liked. That is why they could make many massive palaces with unimaginable compound occupying government or private land. In that period, occupying, owning, or covering the Tukucha River would not have been a big talk of the people. They owned it as they owned the land, as they even owned the country. They covered it beautifully as they wanted it. That was their owned property. That part of Rana's history occurred more than 130 years ago. Everyone knows the Tukucha was inside the Lal Durbar Palace compound because we see its outlet southeast of its compound.
I was surprised to read the news about the Tukucha River site excavation and opening by the Kathmandu Municipality dismantling the century-old original structure with a piece of unimaginable news as if Christopher Columbus (1451– 1506 ) discovered America. At the same time, I was more surprised to read, hear, and see on various YouTubes misleading information that the Tukucha River part of the Lal Durbar compound was also occupied and covered with conspiracy with the help of the land mafia by the present house and land owners as the people did around KamaladiBagh Bazar-Putali SadakThapathali-Tripureshwor or other places. A large number of people have been turned to believe this as they are excited to see the covered Tukuchha under the deep ground. See the caption of the following YouTube picture.
It was nice to see the river covered or uncovered by the work of the Kathmandu Municipality. That is indeed a piece of good news. But the covered structures themselves prove that it was not done during our lifetime. I assume some of the owners might have heard about this, while others might not have even heard about the existence of the Tukucha River on their premises. Some of them even might have seen it when they dug for the foundation of their high buildings. I do not have any near, dear, or any other person with whom I have contact in that area and on that premises. Still, I think it will be intolerable injustice to the present land and house owners if we blame them for any encroachment, malpractices, or irregularities in the work done by the Rana Maharaj more than a century ago. No one should be blamed, charged, or punished for the work done by others. One should always consider what you yourself feel if you are punished without fault. If our government or the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has a program to open the covered Lal Durbar part of the Tukucha River for some reason with some city development plan for beautifying Kathmandu city, they can certainly do it. But if we have democracy and the rule of law in the country, there must be some procedure for implementing the program - issuing notice, acquiring land and houses with compensation, and giving reasonable time to move from the place according to the law of the land. It is so surprising to see the municipality with its team going to somebody's compound with a bulldozer and digging, excavating the spot as if our democracy had disappeared and a new type of dictatorial Rana regime appeared in the country. I honestly feel our newly elected mayor Balendra Shah should seriously consider it and not snatch the civil rights of the people. The topic should be discussed well on how much this project is essential. Is it necessary and practicable to take an unusual and urgent action like on a war footing without following the democratic procedure? Even when dismantling all the necessary buildings for keeping the covered Tukucha site clear, one should think wisely about whether it has some archaeological value with an expert view. At the same time, we should also consider whether we should keep the covered site as it is but beautifully without opening, making it a historical site. Besides, the structure of the covered Tukuchha that resisted many more than a century of earthquakes and floods must be a good piece of study and research from the engineering and architectural point of view. In this context, I am glad to read the news that the Department of Archeology is showing its concern. They should have shown their concern earlier.
We know we need to do many other urgent things than opening the covered Tukucha River to beautify Kathmandu - good management of our river pollution and River land occupiers and encroachers called squatters (Sukumbasi) on all river banks (Hanumante, Manohara, Bagamati, Bishnumati, Balkhu, etc.) - good maintenance, and management of existing buildings in religious places made for religious rituals and pilgrimage called Satals in Nepali, etc. in the temple premises. In this context, I am sorry to say that I know some squatters who live in Bagmati River Bank at Balkhu are not landless or homeless and have their house and land property in other nearby districts. They occupied land because they thought they would get it during the weak and corrupt government's bad governance with mob rule. I know some other squatters now officially own land in Bishnumati, Kalimati.
I also know that the people in power in our country love to hear only appreciation for what they do -- right or wrong. They more often take them like enemies who put suggestions and comments, though they are their wellwishers in reality. This is our culture which takes time to change. Still, I hope my view with a pure heart will not be misinterpreted and misunderstood by anyone stamping me as the Tukucha land owner's person or henchman. Be sure! I do not have contact with anyone in that area and do not have anyone coming and going from that place. I am not against this development program. My writing is only for the proper procedure for achieving the right thing. I feel a person should speak the truth even for an enemy. I want the concerned people to know the truth of what I saw in my eight decades of life with my birth in the Kathmandu Valley
I, with great joy, appreciate the work done by the municipality removing the street shopkeepers to make it easy for the people to walk through the walking path or shopping area and keep the rented shopkeepers systematic according to the law and rules. I also feel happy about its active action for pursuing the big building owners to keep the basement parking space for the same purpose. I also admire the municipality for keeping their sharp eyes on the government land encroachers - rich or poor. We all appreciate their action of removing illegal structures which are causing trouble to others. Similarly, the step in the management of peddlers is also highly appreciated. But it is not unwise to say that all the action should be implemented according to the process of the law, not by force, with the strength of the municipality team and many people behind them. People, initially, should be given time to move things and structures with love and kindness. The path and process also should be right even for achieving the right things in a righteous society. Otherwise, it certainly loses good taste, which should not be.
The power used for the society and country with rules and regulations, love and kindness without illfeeling towards anyone is called the proper use of power. If the same power is used without, that is called the misuse of power. According to Martin Luther King, the well-known civil right leader of the USA - ”In the process of gaining our rightful place, we should not be guilty of wrongful deeds”. He followed his sayings life long despite his suffering and troubles. So, he is highly respected throughout the world. He is great. I love and respect him.