"GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: Cable car project endangers sacred site in Nepal", 4 June 2025

... Nepal’s Supreme Court has lifted the suspension on construction of a controversial cable car project at Pathibhara, …, intensifying fears of cultural violation and confrontation with Indigenous Yakthung (Limbu) communities. While the IME Group, which is building the project, plans to resume work, the Limbu say they will not allow construction to proceed on their ancestral land known as Mukkumlung.

The court declined to extend the interim stay order, citing earlier rulings, though the final judgment is still pending. “Now that the court has discontinued its order, we are looking forward to continuing the construction and plan to finish the project by late next year,” said Himal Neupane, spokesperson for IME Group. He claimed the project was approved with local consent. However, Indigenous leaders firmly reject this narrative, citing violations of their constitutional rights and international obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to which Nepal is a signatory.

… The developer and its supporters argue that the cable car will boost tourism, create jobs, and ease access for pilgrims who currently trek the steep mountain path. Yet environmental experts have raised concerns over the project’s weak environmental assessment, which they say exploits legal loopholes and fails to safeguard local biodiversity. Neupane insists that proper community consent was obtained, a claim disputed by protesters…

The recent Supreme Court decision to lift the stay order feels less like justice and more like a retreat from the principles enshrined in international law: free, prior, and informed consent, and the right of Indigenous peoples to protect their ancestral lands.

Development without conscience is nothing but silent violence. The flawed environmental assessments, the sidelining of Indigenous voices, and the looming displacement of porters and small businesses expose a brutal truth: profit has once again found an easier path than fairness…