According to the chief of the reserve Bishwa Babu Shrestha, immediate action had to be taken to curb encroachment on the reserve area.
“There had been rampant encroachment on the reserve a decade ago. Had we not taken this decision to remove the illegal settlers, encroachment on the reserve area would have continued in the days to come,” said Shrestha. Police personnel have been deployed to demolish the illegally built huts.
People displaced during the Maoist insurgency have encroached on around 300 hectares of land inside the reserve. Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve which sprawls across Baglung, Myagdi to Rukum districts.
“The displaced victims had settled in the reserve area during the insurgency. But encroachment continued in the following years,” said Shrestha. He said the displaced people have encroached on the reserve area in Adhikarichaur, Bobang and Nisi VDCs of Baglung; Ranma, Maukot, Hukam, Taksera, Kol, and Kakri VDCs of Rukum and Lulang, Khoriya and Gurjakhani VDCs of Myagdi. Besides building huts in the reserve area, the illegal settlers have also been growing potatoes.
“Until now we have demolished 30 households and the demolition drive will continue,” said Shrestha. “Around 1,000 huts have been illegally built in the reserve area. Locals have been supporting us to bring down the illegally built huts,” he added.
After removing the illegal setters we will declare the reserve as a buffer zone and this will once again help the reserve gain its old charm, said Deepak Thapa, a local.
Related story
Hunting season begins at Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve
