"World Bank watchdog looks into Nepal cable car project amid Indigenous outcry", 23 January 2026

… A cable car line is being built to serve the mountaintop temple of Pathibhara Devi, a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus in eastern Nepal. But the area is also revered by the region’s Indigenous Yakthung (or Limbu) people, many of whom have objected to the clearing of trees that they say will weaken the spiritual power that the site holds according to their beliefs.

The World Bank Group’s Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO) says it is looking into a complaint filed by the Yakthung people against the International Finance Corporation (IFC) …

The CAO recently confirmed … that it had received the complaint filed … and it meets the ombudsman’s criteria for formal registration. “As the Nepal cable car complaint met these criteria, it is now in the assessment phase of the CAO process,” Emily Horgan, communications and outreach lead at CAO, told …

Project developer Pathibhara Devi Darshan Cable Car Pvt. Ltd., part of the IME Group led by prominent Nepali tycoon Chandra Prasad Dhakal, and its supporters say the project will boost tourism, create jobs and provide better access for pilgrims who currently need to undertake a strenuous high-altitude trek to the temple.

The sacred site, located on the edge of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in eastern Nepal, is home to threatened wildlife species such as red pandas (Ailurus fulgens), and legally protected high-value trees such as the Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana)…

… An IFC spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous as it was “against official policy,” said the corporation did not invest in, develop or provide advice related to the Pathibhara cable car project …

The complaint also argues that although the IFC terminated its agreement with IME before any work began on the four cable car projects, including Pathibhara, it still has active projects with Global IME Bank Ltd., one of Nepal’s largest commercial banks promoted by the IME Group…