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Kathmandu Thursday August 09, 2001 Shrawan 25, 2058.
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Unauthorised
huts demolished in Kailali
Post Report
TIKAPUR, Aug 8 -
Kailali district forest office has said nearly 2,500 houses and huts have been demolished
as they were built in the forest areas which were occupied illegally by squatters in
different parts of the district.
The illegal occupants
of forest areas were removed permanently over the past 10 days from Shreepur, Geta,
Malakheti and Urma VDCs after an all-party gathering ratified the "Encroachment
Control Programe" about a month ago.
Similarly, 21 people
including chairman of Sukumbasi Utthan Samaj, Kailali, Chandra Bahadur Saud, have been
kept in custody by the District Forest Office on the charge of encroachment of forest
area. Preparations are underway to file a case against them.
In the past, about
3,500 illegal settlers were removed by the office, but no permanent solution was found.
The office has now mobilised the support of local people in such activities and it has
proved effective, according to the office.
This is the district
where the largest area of forest land has been encroached by squatters. A total of 25,000
hectares of forest land has been occupied by illegal settlers in this district according
to the forest office.
After the Forest
Encroachment Control Programme had been started, 752 hectares of forest has been freed
from the squatters after removing them and destroying the crops grown by them.
In Hasuliya VDC, the
occupied area was left by the squatters after the Maoist workers threatened them.
Following their eviction from the forest, locals planted trees in nearly 500 bighas of
forest land.
Forest officer Navaraj
Baral believes that it will be possible to remove the illegal occupants of the forests
after the commitment of all parties is received although this is a difficult task to
achieve. He also informed that there was no political pressure these days in favour of the
illegal occupants unlike in the past.
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