Kathmandu, October 15
People displaced by Shuklaphanta National Park have submitted a memorandum to the prime minister, demanding housing, land and compensation.
A delegation led by Jay Bahadur Rokaya, chairperson of the Shuklaphanta National Park Displaced People’s District Struggle Committee, submitted the memorandum to Chief District Officer Madan Koirala.
Committee secretary Krishna Bhatta said they also sent copies of the memorandum, submitted to the prime minister through the chief district officer, to the ministers for home affairs, forests, and land reform. He said the affected people had yet to receive justice despite their struggle since 2001.
The memorandum demands a timeline for the start and completion of the resettlement process, at least 10 katthas of land for each affected family, Rs 2 million in compensation, and 500 cubic feet of timber to build houses and cattle sheds.
People displaced from the Shuklaphanta National Park area, then known as the Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, in 2001 have been living in 17 camps. Of these, 500 affected families live in the shelter at Bhagattpur, Ward 4 of Bhimdatta Municipality in Kanchanpur.
Similarly, 604 families live in the Dhakka camp, 180 in Tarapur and 13 in Lallare Danda. According to Secretary Bhatta, a total of 2,473 families live in Bani, Sisamghari, Malubela, Simalphanta, Banahara, Baishakha, Suda and Belauri.
