Nepal’s Pathibhara Cable Car Faces Backlash Over Impact

The Pathibhara cable car project in eastern Nepal, a development touted for increasing pilgrimage access and tourism, is under increasing criticism after it was revealed that its environmental impact assessment left out crucial ecological information and avoided legal standards. Indigenous Yakthung (Limbu) people and conservationists have been vocal in their opposition to the construction, raising concerns over impacts on biodiversity, forest ecosystems, and their sacred cultural heritage in the Mukkumlung region, where the Pathibhara Devi temple is situated.

The 3-billion-rupee (about $22 million) project is being spearheaded by Pathibhara Devi Darshan Cable Car Pvt. Ltd., an IME Group company chaired by well-known businessman Chandra Prasad Dhakal. Designed to facilitate the arduous climb to the mountaintop temple, the cable car line has stirred protests from its initial proposal in 2018. Tempers rose when a defective Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) report became public, revealing various omissions and inaccuracies of the project's environmental impact.

Activist and botanist Kamal Maden denounced the IEE for severely underestimating the region's biodiversity. "Out of the 112 tree species in the region, only four have been noted in the report," Maden stated. A closer look by Mongabay found inconsistencies in the number of trees slated for cutting, with the summary reporting 112 trees, while elsewhere the report admits the cutting of more than 10,000 saplings, seedlings, and pole-sized trees.

More alarming, activists claim that up to 40,000 trees have already been felled, a number far greater than those cited in the official reports. Sacred to the Indigenous Limbu people, the Mukkumlung site is not only a site of profound spiritual significance but also a hotspot of biodiversity, featuring rare and endangered species such as the Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana), which is used in cancer treatment medicines, and other high-value medicinal plants such as kutki and chirata.

In Nepal's Environment Protection Regulations 2020, such projects requiring more than five hectares of land must be subject to a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Pathibhara project, though, asserted in its IEE that it would cover less than the required limit—at 4.97 hectares—when actual documentation later revealed that it actually required 6.22 hectares of land, something that would have required a detailed EIA. This variance, conservationists hold, reflects a deliberate attempt at evading stricter scrutiny.

The defective environmental reporting has further widened the chasm between project proponents and Indigenous people. While some developers and local authorities believe that the cable car will usher in economic progress, generate employment, and make access easier for old and sick pilgrims, most of the Limbu people believe that the project commodifies and profanes a sacred place, threatens livelihoods of trail-based businesses, and inflicts irreparable environmental harm.

Demonstrations against the cable car project escalated into violence in January, when police and protesters clashed. At least five residents were shot and injured, and 41 were arrested, with charges laid against 15. These incidents serve to emphasize the rising tensions and the sense of marginalization of Indigenous voices from development decision-making.

Even after repeated requests, Nepal's Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has not made any comment. Officials stated that they did not have a copy of the IEE report and refused to comment. In the same vein, an IME Group spokesperson also declined to comment on the issue, referring to the pending legal proceedings.

To address the escalating outrage and complaints of regulatory breaches, Nepal's Supreme Court has stepped in, directing a suspension of construction until the matter is examined thoroughly. This action is being taken by many as a rare victory for Indigenous and environmental rights in a nation where development comes at the cost of local communities and the environment.

Although others like Amir Maden, the chairperson of the Phungling municipality, insist that the project had local consent and due process, the mounting evidence of procedural flaws and ecological damage tells a different story. Conservationists such as Ramesh Prasad Bhatt, a seasoned environmental impact assessment expert, claim the IEE did not properly discuss tree compensation proposals and forest rehabilitation, essential elements for such a massive forest clearance project.

While the case rests before the courts for further deliberation, the Pathibhara cable car issue has served as a test of Nepal's environmental management, Indigenous rights defenses, and visions of sustainable development. For the Limbu people and their allies, the struggle continues—not to halt a cable car, but to safeguard the sanctity of their ancestral terrain and the environmental wealth of one of Nepal's most sacred natural and spiritual territories.