A violent clash ensued between the ‘No Cable Car’ group and security personnel in the Pathibhara area of Taplejung district on Thursday. At least 13 people—a protester, a taxi driver and 11 security personnel—sustained injuries as tensions flared once again between the protesters and security personnel.

The clash broke out when protesters opposing the Pathibhara cable car project attempted to march towards the construction site. In response, the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force (APF) personnel intervened, leading to the confrontation.

The security forces fired seven teargas canisters at the protesters to bring the situation under control.

According to Chief District Officer Netra Prasad Sharma, the injured security personnel and the protester are being treated at the district hospital.

Taxi driver Raj Kumar Paudel, who was taken to the incident site by the Taplejung chapter of Nepal Red Cross to help in rescue efforts, was also injured in the clash. The district hospital reportedly referred him to a hospital with better facilities.

Indra Bahadur Gurung, chairman of Taplejung chapter of Nepal Red Cross, general secretary of Taplejung Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kamal Limbu and Insec representative Elina Diyali had hired Paudel’s taxi to reach the incident site for rescue efforts.

“The protesters vandalised our vehicle. Driver Paudel sustained serious injuries in the attack. We rushed him to the hospital by hiring another vehicle," said Gurung.

On February 4, the government and the protesting ‘No Cable Car’ group reached a six-point agreement to resolve the ongoing dispute over the construction of a cable car in the Pathibhara area. The government team, led by Home Ministry joint secretary Prem Prasad Bhattarai, and the protesters’ talks coordination committee, headed by Amar Tumyahang, had signed the agreement.

As per the agreement, construction of the cable car station above the designated site would be halted, pending further discussions.

However, a new round of talks could not be held as the protesters insisted on negotiating only with a ministerial team. They again launched various protests to put pressure on the government into forming a high-level political committee to address the long-standing issue.

Earlier on Thursday, the ‘No Cable Car’ group completed its three-day protest trek against the Pathibhara cable car project.

Leaders of identity politics, including Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal chair and former deputy prime minister Rajendra Mahato, former minister Rakam Chemjong, and former Constituent Assembly member Raj Kumar Nalbo joined the trek, expressing solidarity with the protest.

Mahato and his team, who joined the trek from Kaflepati, are set to reach Phedi before returning for a corner meet at Kaflepati, said Khagendra Phembu Limbu, chairman of the Pathibhara Cable Car Cancellation Joint Struggle Committee.

The agitating group also performed atonement rituals from the cable car station to the temple.

Meanwhile, construction continues, with the site fenced off with barbed wire and security forces deployed. Authorities have sent a large number of police in the area as tensions persist.

The ‘No Cable Car’ group has been protesting against the construction of the cable car in the Pathibhara region, citing concerns that the project would erase the area’s historical identity. The group, led by the Mukkumulung joint struggle committee, has been organising phased protests under the banner of the ‘Mukkumulung cable car cancellation struggle committee’.

Various organisations and groups under the banner of 'No Cable Car' group have launched protests against the construction of the cable car project in the area, referred to as Mukkumlung by the indigenous Limbu people. The protesters claim that the project would harm the environment, encroach on local culture and disrupt the livelihoods of the residents.

The agitating group intensified the protests a few weeks ago after the Pathibhara Mata Cable Car Company began levelling land for the project. Demonstrators vowed to launch stringent protests if their demands were not met, warning of further strikes and demonstrations.

Violence previously erupted in the Pathibhara region on January 25, when clashes between the ‘No Cable Car’ group and the security personnel resulted in two protesters sustaining bullet injuries and several others being wounded. The confrontation took place at Baludanda, which is a kilometre away from Kaflepati.

A 2.7 km cable car is being constructed from Kaflepati in ward 10 of Phungling Municipality to the temple on a hilltop. The agitating groups and individuals have been demanding that Pathibhara Mukkumlung should be preserved in its original state, as it is the heartland of the Limbu community.

The Mukkumlung Struggle Committee, the Cable Car Cancellation Joint Struggle Committee, the Kirat Yakthung Chumlung, and some political forces advocating identity politics including the Rastriya Janamukti Party and the Loktantrik Rastriya Manch have been protesting against the project.

Claiming that Mukkumlung has been culturally encroached and transformed into Pathibhara, the agitating groups are demanding that the name Pathibhara be changed back to Mukkumlung to preserve its Limbu history.

They claim that Mukkumlung area is the traditional Mundhumi of the Limbu community. The agitators are against the construction of large infrastructure projects at the shrine, saying they are open to a cable car project in other parts of the district but not above Kanchhithan in Pathibhara.

The construction of the cable car line has long been in dispute. The idea was first raised by Olangchung Gola-based traders during King Birendra's visit to the area in 1988. Later, four business persons registered Kanchanjungha Cable Car Pvt Ltd in 1998. But the project could not take off.

In May 2018, the executive committee meeting of Phungling Municipality gave permission to Pathibhara Mata Darshan Pvt Ltd to construct the cable car as per clause 11 (6) of the Local Government Operation Act, 2017.

Yeti Group, a renowned travel and tourism enterprise, later took ownership of the company, and it was subsequently sold to the IME Group led by Chandra Dhakal, the current president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Dhakal claimed he was unaware of past protests against the cable car project. According to Dhakal, obstacles to construction of the project are unfortunate. He hoped the issue would soon be resolved at the national level.