The DFO has started the process on Saturday, saying that around 1,000 hectares of government and community forests have been encroached upon in the district. It has already removed 50 families from the inner tarai region of the district where more than 1,000 families of flood victims and squatters have been living for the past year.
Encroachment upon forest areas in Jogbuda, Sirsha, Alital, Belapur, Navadurga and other VDCs has increased in the recent years. Locals say even those evicted from Kailali recently have also started to settle in the inner tarai region of the district.
“We have been able to remove 50 families who had erected huts in different forest areas of Jogbuda VDC,” said assistant forest officer at the Jogbuda Range Post Bhola Chaudhary. He said a police team from Area Police Office, Jogbuda, is being mobilized in the operation.
Thirty-seven huts have been removed from Ghattejala, Dumlek and Peepalthala area near Karaligaun in Jogbuda-5 and 13 from Mainakholi area near Kauchhadi in Jogbuda-8, according to Chaudhary. The operation was carried as per the directives from the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation to evict illegal settlers from forest areas in the district.
The encroachers are first requested to vacate the area and if they refuse to oblige within the given timeframe, police force is mobilized. A team of forest officials led by District Forest Officer Panchalal Sah has reached Jogbuda on Sunday to supervise the process.
Meanwhile, CPN-UML organized a press conference Sunday to protest the encroachment and ravaging of forest areas in the district.
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