Earlier, citing a report from the Department of Wildlife and National Park, Joint Secretary at the Committee Dr Rabi Sharma Aryal had said most of the rhinos and tigers in the park have been found killed near the hotels. "Was the national park made for biodiversity conservation or hotel operations?" he added.
Similarly, local conservation activist Basudev Dhungana, who was also invited to the committee meeting, had accused the hoteliers of "looting". He had also accused them of evading tax while enjoying exclusive rights of operating hotels inside CNP at the cost of wildlife.
The barrage of accusations was enough to upset the hoteliers. "Were we invited to the meeting to be humiliated?" asked Bharat Basnet, owner of Rhino Wildlife Camp Nepal situated inside the CNP, at the end of the meeting, pointing his finger at the subcommittee chairman Ramesh Rijal. The parliamentary committee had formed a subcommittee led by Rijal to study the issue. Rijal said he would apologize if the hoteliers felt hurt by the remarks of the participants.
The subcommittee had invited the stakeholders and Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation Deepak Bohara for discussion. There are seven hotels inside CNP that enjoy exclusive rights to operate inside the CNP, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site. Their 15-year contract with the government to operate hotels there ended two months ago.
Earlier the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the parliament had decided to extend their contract for up to three years saying it would be wrong to remove the hotels from the CNP as the country is all set to mark 2011as tourism year. But the Natural Resources and Means committee took up the issue claiming that forest resources fall under its jurisdiction.
Most lawmakers who spoke during the meeting opined that the hoteliers should be immediately evicted from the CNP as the law bars anyone from enjoying exclusive rights to public property. "It will be unfair to allow them to enjoy exclusive rights to operate hotels inside CNP, while barring the locals from using the resources there. They should immediately pack up," said Maoist lawmaker Hari Rokka.
Also speaking at the meeting Minister Bohara said he is confused and cannot take a decision as the two parliamentary committees have taken up the issue. He said he is under tremendous pressure from the Federation of Nepalese Chambers and Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and other organizations to let the hotels operate till 2011, the year the government is celebrating as a tourism year. "Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation is under this committee, and we issue directive to you. And we leave it to you to decide what is right," said Subcommittee chairman Rijal. According to an official, the committee is all set to direct the government to remove the hotels from the CNP.
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