JANAKPURDHAM, MAY 20
A total of 442 hectares of forest land that had been encroached for years in various districts of Madhesh Province was cleared during the fiscal year 2081/82, according to the Forest Directorate, Janakpur.
The Directorate said concerned forest offices issued notices and carried out eviction drives to reclaim the occupied land.
District-wise, 30 hectares were cleared in Dhanusha, 175 hectares in Sarlahi, 111 hectares in Saptari, 54 hectares in Bara, 45 hectares in Parsa, 12 hectares in Rautahat, 10 hectares in Siraha, and three hectares in Mahottari.
The reclaimed areas had been used for agriculture, animal sheds, shops, hotels, and residential structures over the years.
Director of the Forest Directorate, Jagnnath Prasad Jaiswal, said that 16,599 hectares of forest land in all eight districts of Madhesh Province still remain under encroachment, and efforts are underway to reclaim them.
He said the process of clearing encroached forest land has already begun and requires cooperation from all stakeholders, including political and local bodies.
Authorities noted that although about 45 percent of Nepal's total land area is covered by forests, Madhesh Province has only 3.72 percent forest cover.
Of the province's total forest area of 202,202 hectares, around eight percent is still under encroachment, according to the Directorate.
(With inputs from RSS)
