Kathmandu, May 30: The coalition government today served a formal notice to the deposed King Gyanendra asking him to vacate the Narayanhitti Palace within 15 days as directed by the Constituent Assembly.

The government hastened to serve the notice on Gyanendra despite today being a public holiday. The notice was forwarded by the Prime Minister’s office to the palace secretariat this morning, home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said.

“The government has merely implemented the decision of the Constituent Assembly by sending the notice to the palace,” Sitaula said.

He also expressed confidence that Gyanendra would vacate the palace after necessary consultations with the government. “The government is ready to make necessary security arrangements for the former king during his stay in Nirmal Niwas (the king’s private residence),” he said, adding that the number of security personnel on royal duty would be reduced drastically.

He said that the home ministry had also formed a task force to safeguard royal properties.

A meeting of the central security committee decided to form the task force this morning. “The task force has been asked to come up with plans within seven days for the security of the place, including the Narayanhitti Palace and other royal properties nationalised earlier,” Sitaula said.

Government sources denied reports in a section of the media that Gyanendra and his family left the palace late last night.

The sources said the car that left the palace in fact carried Gyanendra’s daughter-in-law Himani who had gone there for dinner. “Himani left around midnight,” a source said while declining to confirm if some Nepal Army trucks had ferried out belongings of the former royal family.