A prohibitory order has been imposed for one month in areas surrounding Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
On Thursday, Kathmandu Chief District Officer Ishwar Raj Paudel issued a statement announcing the decision to enforce a prohibitory order in the vicinity of Tribhuvan International Airport for a month.
CDO Paudel released two separate statements on Thursday, stating that the Kathmandu administration’s attention had been drawn to an event reportedly planned in the airport area.
Leaders of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), along with Durga Prasai and others, recently called on supporters to gather at Tribhuvan International Airport on Friday to welcome former king Gyanendra Shah upon his return to Kathmandu from Jhapa.
Drawing attention to the matter, CDO Paudel said that at a time when government agencies are mobilized for the election, it had been found that some groups and political parties had issued statements and social media posts announcing plans to organize protests, gatherings, and rallies in and around the airport on February 13.
He also stated that no one had informed the Kathmandu administration or sought prior approval regarding such events.
In another statement, the administration said that organizing hunger strikes, sit-ins, picketing, processions, demonstrations, or assemblies in such a highly sensitive area as an international airport could lead to vandalism, arson, and other unruly or unwanted activities by agitated crowds. There is also a risk of clashes, confrontations, unrest, or disturbances that could seriously affect essential services, public service delivery, public transportation, public property, and overall peace and security, it said, adding that the prohibitory order was issued taking these concerns into account.
According to CDO Paudel, gatherings of more than five people for hunger strikes, sit-ins, picketing, processions, demonstrations, or assemblies are prohibited within the entire Tribhuvan International Airport premises – including all roads leading to the airport from the Golden Gate entrance, the domestic terminal area, international terminal area, and parking zones.
The administration said that the prohibitory order has been issued under Section 6(3)(a) of the Local Administration Act, effective from February 12 for a month, until further notice.
The administration also clarified that, except in the designated prohibited areas, it remains committed to upholding every citizen’s constitutional right to freedom of opinion and expression, and to assemble peacefully without arms and participate in protests in accordance with the Constitution of Nepal.
