Investigation Launched into Alleged Encroachment of Parsa National Park Land by Jagdamba Steel

Bara. Following a complaint filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) alleging that Jagdamba Steel Pvt. Ltd., which uses the slogan 'Backbone of the Nation,' has encroached upon more than 25 bighas of land belonging to Parsa National Park, relevant authorities have begun investigating the reality of the situation.

On 2080 Falgun 1, the CIAA wrote to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, directing them to provide all relevant documents. Upon receiving the commission's letter, the Wildlife Department instructed Parsa National Park to submit a response within 5 days.

The letter sent by the commission to the Wildlife Department on Falgun 1 requested a report and relevant documentation regarding the allegation that Jagdamba Steel, located in Jitpursimara Sub-Metropolitan City, has encroached upon over 25 bighas of Parsa National Park land.

The complaint regarding the encroachment was filed with the commission on Magh 21. The complaint states, 'Jagdamba Steel in Jitpursimara has encroached upon more than 25 bighas of Parsa National Park land, obtained land ownership certificates, constructed infrastructure, and is conducting business; therefore, we request an investigation and action.' It further adds, 'Additionally, Hulas Aluminium and Hulas Steel, located near Jagdamba Steel, have encroached upon more than 2 bighas of national park land, while the park and forest office remain silent spectators. We respectfully request the maximum possible action according to the law based on the original field book and maps.'

Following the pressure from the Wildlife Department, Parsa National Park wrote to Jagdamba Steel on Falgun 9, requesting details of the land currently in the industry's possession. In response, the industry provided 32 plot numbers on Falgun 9. The industry claims that it has purchased land from various individuals at different times and is using some land leased from individuals and organizations, asserting that it has not encroached upon any individual, institutional, national park, or government land.

Santosh Bhagat, Information Officer at Parsa National Park, stated that the park cannot act alone without a joint investigation and survey by all concerned stakeholders regarding the encroached land.

'We will forward the land details provided by the industry to the department as they are, and then we will have to proceed according to the department's instructions,' said Information Officer Bhagat. He added that if the industry has indeed encroached upon park land and obtained ownership certificates, local citizens, former Village Development Committee (VDC) officials, municipal staff, and the local administration would be equally responsible. He clarified that whether encroachment occurred and to what extent will only be known after a survey.

How much land does Jagdamba Steel, established 3 decades ago, possess?

Jagdamba Steel Pvt. Ltd. was established in Simara, Bara, in 2050 BS after purchasing about 8 bighas of private land adjacent to the then Parsa Wildlife Reserve. Initially, the industry purchased 5 bighas, 15 katthas, and 11.3 dhurs of land under plot no. 3171 in the former Pripa Simara VDC.

The details submitted by the industry to the park include 32 plot numbers, noting that recently, 2 bighas and 1 kattha were purchased from Jana Agrawal across 5 plots. Parsa National Park has stated that it will only be known after an investigation whether the land details submitted by the industry are accurate.

Whether all the land occupied by the industry over the last 3 decades is private or if public land was illegally converted into private property through collusion with park staff, community forests, land revenue offices, survey offices, local political leaders, former VDC staff, and local administration remains to be investigated.

Satyabahadur Shrestha, Chairman of Radhakrishna Community Forest, stated that he had registered a 'note of dissent' when the land was being demarcated between the park and the industry. Jagdamba Steel Pvt. Ltd. is connected to the Bara-Parsa industrial corridor on the east and the buffer zone of the park on the west.

The industry has erected a 15 to 20-foot-high wall on the western side adjacent to the park. Until a few years ago, the Bhangre and Jamuna rivers flowed through that area. That river now falls within the industry's wall.

'When the industry was building the wall, Nalindra Thapa was the chairman and I was the vice-chairman; even then, I had registered a note of dissent in the decision,' said Shrestha, chairman of the Radhakrishna Buffer Zone Community Forest. 'We had said at that time that the Bhangre river should be left open, but the industry closed the river using the power of money.'

In the past, some chief conservation officers of the park had attempted to clear the encroached land. However, the issue subsided after the industry administration allegedly used money and political influence to transfer the wardens who opposed them.

Madhusudan Adhikari, founding chairman of the Radhakrishna Community Forest, said it is impossible to say how much park land Jagdamba Steel has encroached upon without a survey. 'The industry has built a wall enclosing the Bhangre river; the river appears in one place on the map, but flows in another in reality,' he said. 'Where the map is, there is no river. Where the river flows, there is no map.'

Adhikari claimed that the industry started on a small area but gradually expanded by adding land. He said, 'The industry kept adding land every year; it did not become this large all at once.'

Ramchandra Khatiwada, Chief Conservation Officer of Parsa National Park, stated that an investigation into the encroachment will be conducted in the first phase. 'An investigation will be held to determine if it is a new encroachment or if ownership certificates were obtained based on old encroachment; if it is old encroachment, this will proceed in the style of the Lalita Niwas case,' said Chief Conservation Officer Khatiwada. 'After we send our response to the department, we will proceed with the remaining work with the help of the home administration based on the decision from there.'

After the Lalita Niwas land was brought under government ownership, the Ministry of Home Affairs recently wrote to District Administration Offices to protect encroached public and government land across the country. When contacted repeatedly regarding the allegation that Jagdamba Steel encroached upon 25 bighas of public land, industry head Ayush Gupta did not answer his phone, while Public Relations Head Krishna Datta Bhatta stated he had no information on the matter.