Kathmandu, August 6

Office of the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park in coordination with Nepali Army, Nepal Police and local communities has demolished as many as 26 houses and huts that encroached on the forested areas located in the buffer zone.

Kamal Jung Kunwar, chief conservation officer at SNNP, said four concrete houses, 17 mud houses and five tin-roofed huts illegally built in the forested areas of the buffer zone in ward 1 and 2 of Talakhu VDC, Nuwakot, and ward 1 and 2 of Haibung VDC, Sindhupalchowk were demolished yesterday as per the verdict of the Supreme Court.

The apex court had on July 27 quashed the May 26 interim order of the Patan Appellate Court issued in the name of the SNNP not to demolish the structures until further decision in response to a writ petition filed by the locals. SNNP buffer zone spreads over 118.61 sq km area of Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk, Dhading and Kathmandu.

It covers 29 VDCs, including seven newly-declared municipalities of Kathmandu. The SNNP is also looking after 49 community forests (805.96 hectares), a leasehold forest (100 hectares) and a religious forest, said a press release issued by the national park.

The buffer zone of the SNNP was declared on March 29. The Shivapur National Park (2002) was renamed as SNNP in 2009 by merging Nagarjun forest. It is the ninth national park in Nepal and is located on the northern fringe of the Valley.