Dhangadi, March 17

As jurisdiction-related confusion over local resources persists, the same has driven a wedge between various local bodies in Kailali.

As per Kailali District Coordination Committee, there are more than two dozen border points between 10 local bodies where disputes exist. Of them, around a dozen-and-a-half disputes are related to conflicting claims of local bodies over the right to harness local rivers for river products. A case in point, Kailali’s Gauriganga Municipality and Chure Rural Municipality are locked in a dispute as both local bodies have separately awarded contracts to mine river products to different companies laying conflicting claims on half-a-dozen rivers. As the mining points are the same, the rival contractors are obstructing each other from collecting river products from the disputed sites.

“Among all, Gauriganga and Chure have the highest cases of disputes that stand at eight,” said Kailali Acting District Coordinator Officer Yogendra Prasad Ojha.

A similar dispute also stands between Ghodaghodi Municipality and Mohanyal Rural Municipality. While Ghodaghodi Municipality is collecting taxes through a contractor on river products mined from the Doda River, Mohanyal Rural Municipality has put on a sign board at the mining site claiming its mining rights on the river.

Likewise, Janaki Rural Municipality and Lamki-Chuha Municipality are disputing who could mine the Gorange Khola. Similarly, Janaki and Jushipur rural municipalities are also in dispute over right to mine over the Patharaiya River. A dispute is also raging between Dhangadi sub-metropolis and Kanchanpur’s Krishnapur Municipality over rights to the Mohana River.

Regarding the dispute, Acting DCO Ojha clarified that the committee was unable to resolve them on its own. “We held frequent discussions between the stakeholders concerned, but as the discussions drew blank, we’ve asked the provincial government to step in to end the disputes,” said Ojha.