Division Forest Office Clarifies Encroachment Removal Incident

Dhangadhi. The Division Forest Office, Kailali, has taken serious note of the news spread on social media claiming that a tempo was pushed off a cliff while removing encroachment in the Chure forest area of Godavari Municipality Ward No. 4. The office, issuing a press release, clarified that the tempo mentioned in the social media claim was not a running or operational vehicle, but merely a non-functional scrap structure placed to operate a shop after encroaching on forest land.

According to the press release, illegal encroachment and sale of government land by building shacks has been ongoing for a long time in the Gaimare Chure forest area of Godavari Community Forest, a region with a very sensitive and fragile environmental system. In that sequence, illegal structures were re-erected starting from 5 months ago.

In that area, Ghanshyam Dhami had established a shop structure by bringing a frame and engine-less metal skeleton that was difficult even to push and move. The Forest Office had directed the removal of the structure a month ago. Although 10 other shacks were removed, Dhami had been defiant.

Although the forest employees had previously pushed the tempo's frame to his house, Dhami brought it back to the same place and operated a shop, and when an attempt was made to remove it, he resorted to verbal abuse, the press release states.

On Friday, the forest team conducted an encroachment removal campaign again. During that process, when an attempt was made to forcibly remove the non-functional scrap tempo, the structure became uncontrollable due to the steep geographical surface and imbalance, and accidentally fell off the cliff, the office stated.

The Division Forest Office, Kailali, has earnestly requested the general public not to publicize the legally conducted forest conservation work in an exaggerated and misleading manner and to understand the facts.