सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Kathmandu. Nearly Rs 15 billion has been spent in the 10 years since the establishment of the President’s Chure-Terai Madhes Conservation Development Committee. The committee has started reviewing the achievements of the expenditure made during this period as per the objectives.
The committee, established on Ashar 2, 2071 BS, has spent Rs 14.96 billion up to the fiscal year 2080/081. According to the committee, the financial progress during this period has been 88.93 percent and the physical progress has been 91.84 percent. The committee has 124 employees, including six office bearers who receive monthly salary benefits, of which 86 are currently filled.
The committee has so far controlled landslides, landslides, and weeds at 1,459 locations and expanded perennial crops on 166 hectares of sloping agricultural land, informed Dr. Kiran Poudel, the committee’s chairman. Similarly, the committee has considered the implementation of a greenery promotion program in 5,230 hectares and the production and distribution of 29.349 million plants as achievements.
“So far, we have constructed 412 km of embankments on the banks of rivers/streams, constructed 162 hectares of green boxes, protected/reconstructed 139 wetlands, constructed 628 rainwater harvesting ponds and protected 548 water sources,” he said. “Apart from this, we have also been carrying out various other works. We have not been able to do the expected work due to the inability to obtain the budget as per the master plan. There is also a shortage of manpower as per the requirement.” The committee, which has a central office in Lalitpur, has stated that it has been working by establishing program implementation units in Salakpur, Janakpur, Chitwan, Butwal and Lamki across the country. The Chure region is spread across 37 districts and 325 local levels in seven provinces.
The Chure is being destroyed due to various factors including land degradation, population migration, climate-related risks, and fires. The committee was established with the aim of contributing to poverty reduction through conservation of Chure’s natural resources, sustainable management, and promotion of ecological services. The committee has faced various controversies and challenges since its inception. The committee, which has been complaining about facing political interference, has also been accused of corruption and irregularities from time to time.
Currently, two members of the committee have been removed from their posts as per the court order after their ineligibility was confirmed in their appointment. Recently, the government has formed a task force to restructure the committee and collect suggestions to make it more effective and efficient. Opposition to the formation of the committee since its inception The Community Forest Users Federation Nepal has been opposing the establishment of the committee from the beginning, saying that the committee was established by ignoring the community.
Federation President Thakur Bhandari commented that the committee’s work is not connected to the local people and that the committee was formed to rule over the people. “This has stifled the rights of local indigenous people/tribes. This committee should be abolished immediately, the longer it exists, the more the destruction of the Chure will continue, the community itself is capable of protecting the Chure”, he said, “Work done by ignoring the community cannot be sustainable.
Local communities should not be deprived of their rights to natural resources.” Chure Committee founding chairman Rameshwor Khanal said that the committee has made a significant contribution to the conservation of Chure and suggested that the committee should be provided with a budget to implement the master plan and manage the necessary human resources to make the committee’s work effective. He also suggested that an act related to Chure should be brought, the community should also be represented in the committee, and the provincial government and the concerned bodies should work in a coordinated manner.
Similarly, Chure expert Dr. Vijay Singh Dunwar said that the conservation of Chure is essential for the safe future of Terai Madhes and expressed concern that if Chure is destroyed, the Terai region will turn into a desert. Pointing out the importance of the committee for the conservation of Chure, he also suggested that an act related to Chure should be brought to make the committee’s work effective.
The Office of the Auditor General has pointed out that the committee has not made progress as per its goals. According to the progress report of the first five years of the committee’s master plan, the 61st annual report of the Auditor General states that there has been no progress in the goals of mapping forest areas by separating forest management units in 36 districts, controlling forest encroachment on 14,150 hectares, and managing forest areas and grazing in 4,800 farmer groups.
Similarly, the report states that there has been no progress in the goals of expanding perennial crops on 7,265 hectares of sloping agricultural land, managing 165,675 hectares of forests, managing the use of riverine products in 180 rivers, managing settlements for 20,505 households in sensitive areas, expanding domestic solar energy in 38,484 households, and developing and utilizing micro-hydropower to 261 kilowatts. .
Similarly, out of the 89 target areas to manage, only 65 have made progress, out of the target to prepare an integrated river system resource development action plan for 64 rivers, only 47 have made progress, and out of the target to expand cow dung gas to 81,137 households, only 1,917 households have been expanded, the report states.
Pointing out that the expected achievements have not been achieved in the five years of implementation of the master plan, the report has suggested that the program should be implemented in a way that meets the goals included in the master plan.
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