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Kathmandu Saturday May 12, 2001 Baishakh 29, 2058.
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Concerns over safety of natural habitat
raised
Post Report
GULARIYA, Bardiya, May 11 - Royal Bardiya National Park
Conservation People Campaign (RBNPCPC) has raised concerns over the government-formed Land
Registration Committee’s decision to settle the former Kamaiyas (bonded labourers)
nearby the wildlife corridor area and buffer zone.
The wildlife corridor connects the Royal Bardiya National
Park and the Indian reserves in Uttar Pradesh which is close to the Nepal-India border.
The government formed committee has decided to settle the
former Kamaiyas in Khata and Bipatpur of Dhodari VDC-9, Thakurdwara VDC and Neulapur
VDc-5. All these areas are located either close to the buffer zone or wildlife corridor of
the park.
At a press conference organised by the RBNPCPC, secretary of
the committee, Krishna Prasad Basyal, said that the decision to settle the homeless people
close to the sensitive forest areas would jeopardise wildlife movement and their natural
habitat.
The RBNP, which has been doubled the size from its original
968 square kilometres area, is the home to Royal Bengal tiger, one-horned Asiatic rhino
and Asian elephant, black buck and a number of other wild animals, reptiles and rare
birds.
Basyal said that the government’s decision to
rehabilitate former Kamaiyas in the areas would bring about negative impact on the policy
being developed by the government in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature
(WWF) to facilitate the wildlife for their movement across the borders between Nepal and
India.
He also asked that government to revise its decision and
demanded that the people be shifted to other areas where wildlife do not feel threats from
human settlement.
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