Nepal govt to take over royal palaces

KATHMANDU: The government in Nepal has decided to take over the palaces and properties of the king, who has already been deprived of most of his powers by Parliament, including the coveted title of the Supreme Commander of the Nepal Army.

A high-level ministerial committee on Thursday decided to register seven palaces including the Narayanhiti Royal Palace, Lamjung Durbar, Gorkha Durbar, Hanumandhoka Durbar, Nuwakot Durbar and Lalitpur Durbar that are being used by the king and his family members in the name of the government of Nepal.

According to minister Hisila Yami, the committee decided to register the palaces and 1,500 ropanis of land belonging to the king in the name of the government.

The committee also decided to seal all bank accounts of the king, queen and crown prince to stop all transactions of money transferred from the late king Birendra and late queen Aishwarya, the Himalayan Times online reported on Thursday.

The government has also directed the authorities to remove all photographs and slogans valourising the monarch from the military headquarters and other buildings of the army.

The Nepal army has started removing pictures of King Gyanendra and queen Komal and slogans praising the monarch following a directive of the government, a Nepal army spokesperson said.