Apr 06, Kathmandu - Home Minister Sudan Gurung has admitted to being duped in the Fewa Lake land case in Pokhara and announced his intention to pursue legal remedies.

According to his secretariat, Gurung, who initially believed he was a victim of deception, is now preparing to take legal action over the incident. The revelation came as he coordinated with Pokhara Metropolitan City to remove structures built on land encroaching on protected area boundaries, following the Supreme Court's directive to reclaim the land.

Gurung, along with two other partners, reportedly leased land that was later found to be within the encroached zone. The secretariat stated that during the land lease process, the landowners concealed the fact that the land was already encroached upon, leading to the deception.

The controversy stems from an initiative launched approximately 8-10 years ago by Gurung and three young entrepreneurs to promote adventure tourism along the shores of Fewa Lake. They had planned to establish 'Adventure Sports Nepal' to boost tourism and economic growth.

"With a spirit of contributing to the country, we started this venture with significant investment and dreams. Before leasing the land, the landowners assured us that the plot was within legal standards and even showed us that the land was secure in the land ownership certificate. Later, we discovered from the municipality that it indeed fell within the permissible limits," Gurung was quoted as saying.

He further explained that upon realizing they had been deceived, he immediately halted all work and investment. "As soon as I learned I was duped and cheated, I stopped all construction and investment based on moral grounds. It is unacceptable that our dreams and investments were manipulated in this way," Home Minister Gurung stated.

The Home Minister expressed his determination to seek legal recourse against the fraud. "We are committed to pursuing strict legal action against this injustice and deception. I want everyone to know that we will not be deterred from following the legal process," he affirmed.