Contractor Manoj Bhetwal has started to refund money collected for the shutters he had illegally built at the Open Theater after the government demolished them. He has started to call the victims and refund them after some went to the police to lodge complaints.
One Netra Bahadur Khatri, who had paid Rs 1.10 million for one shutter, told Setopati that Bhetwal called him at the contact office in Open Theater and refunded the amount Sunday afternoon.
"I have received my lost money. Many like me have been refunded," Khatri stated claiming that around a dozen have been refunded by Sunday evening.
The Kathmandu District Administration Office and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) on Saturday had used bulldozers to demolish the illegally built shutters following widespread criticism of the government.
Those who had bought the shutters had gone to the police complaining they could not do business despite paying over a million.
DSP at the Metropolitan Police Jana Sewa Office Basu Dev Khatiwada said the police had advised the victims to lodge fraud case if they are not refunded. "I have been told that the contractor is refunding the amount," DSP Khatiwada added.
The police do not have the data on the number of victims who have been refunded while contractor Bhetwal did not respond to our queries.
Jaleshwore Swachhanda Bikoi Builders, contracted to build the view tower at the Old Bus Park, had built the shutters in the public land at the Open Theater and rented them. The KMC claims that the company owned by Bhetwal was only handed over the responsibility of managing the bus park shifted to the Open Theater.
The company was given permission to build just a canteen, waiting space for passengers and a toilet but it built 51 shutters and rented 40 of them, according to the KMC. There were ticket counters for buses in the remaining shutters.
