Fifty houses have been erected around Begnas Lake in Kaski without following the building code issued by Lekhnath Municipality.
Although the municipality prohibits construction within 100-metre periphery of the lake, many hotel and restaurant buildings have been built close to the lake.
Laxmi Prasad Tripathi of Lekhnath Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the lake area is being encroached, but the municipal authority is not doing anything about it. “There is also the environmental risk. If the businesses are allowed to operate close to the lake, it is inevitable that others will join and the lake will be polluted,” Tripathi said. Lok Bahadur Bhandari, executive officer of the municipality, said a notice has been issued to the business owners asking them to set up their establishments at least 100 meters away from the lake.
