Despite continuous pressure from stakeholders, the government remained firm in its decision not to extend the deadline of mid-July, 2012.[break]
Ram Prasad Lamsal, spokesperson at Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation said, “The final deadline has expired and the agreement has not been renewed which means none of the hotels can continue their operation.” He said as per the exit plan, entrepreneurs will be able to relocate their property by mid-December, 2012.
Six hotels which were operating inside the park includes more than four-decade old Tiger Tops along with Safari Narayani, Chitwan Jungle Lodge, Machan Wildlife Resort, Island Jungle Resort and Temple Tigers. Gaida Wildlife Camp shut down operation in 2009 following labor unrest.
However, according to an official at MOCTCA tourism entrepreneurs had met Tourism Minister Post Bahadur Bogati on Sunday. “At the meeting Minister Bogati had promised the entrepreneurs to assist them to extend the agreement,” the official said that there was still a chance that MoCTCA could forward the proposal of extension to the Forest Ministry.
However, Forest Ministry is determined not to renew the lease agreement in any case. Lamsal said, “ We will neither renew the agreement nor allow any new party to operate inside the CNP.”
In 2009, similar deadline was extended by the government considering Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011. The hotels which were shut for seven months had resumed the operation after that.
General Manager of Tiger Tops Yadav Bantawa said, “Since we failed to renew the agreement we will be closing down the operation.” He said as it was monsoon, most of the resorts had few or no guests at all. “Those who have few guests will be relocating them to other hotels from Monday,” he added.
The entrepreneurs claimed they had invested around Rs 2 billion in the six resorts and were paying Rs 200 million as royalty to the government. The resorts were charging as much as $350 per person, 10 times higher than the resorts outside the park.
Conservationist had asked the government not to allow the operation of the hotels inside the CNP claiming it was degrading the natural habitat of wild animals as well as the environment.
Related story
State to gain more than Rs 4 billion from Gokarna Forest Resort...
