Kathmandu: Representatives of families displaced by the expansion of the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, seeking land compensation. The memorandum was handed over at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar, where representatives, including 95-year-old Kamala Kumari Pokhrel, highlighted a historical agreement with the government to exchange land for properties acquired 48 years ago during the Reserve’s expansion.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the Government of Nepal established a high-level commission on February 18, 2024, led by Rakam Chemjong, to address the issues faced by those displaced from the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. This commission recommended providing land compensation to 75 families eligible for replacement land in Letang Municipality, Morang. Former commission member Manohar Narayan Shrestha, who was part of the delegation, emphasized the need for the government to promptly implement the report’s recommendations.
Additionally, Prime Minister Oli was briefed on a Supreme Court decision from April 17, 1989, which also ordered substitute land for the displaced families. In response to the memorandum, PM Oli directed Chief Secretary Eak Narayan Aryal to examine the issue thoroughly and deliver an appropriate response to the affected families within 15 days.