An action plan to attract tourists to Rajapur

During the expansion of the market, besides Rajapur, Shantibazar, Manau, Khairichandanpur, Gola and other places are filled with businessmen who buy and sell rice, the number of farmers coming here is decreasing. Rajapur used to develop as a commercial center in the hilly districts of the Far West and Midwestern Development Zones.

After the old Rajapur market was swept away by the flood in 2016, Kshama Kumari Upadhyay of Rajapur, who is on the east side, gave land to settle the settlement. 67-year-old local Gopaladhwaj GC says that there is a settlement and a market in his name on 18 bigha 10 katha land. After the restrictions came into effect in 2011, the land in the name of Upadhyay was taken over by the government. Now he has passed away. Businessmen and common people living on that land have been claiming rights on that land.

Nepalgunj and other businessmen from India used to do business here. "The oldest Karnali Vastralaya, Sarla Rice Mill, Hiralal Gupta and other shops were in operation here," said the GC. Nepalese businessmen were transferred to Nepalgunj and Kailali. According to the GC, about 250,000 quintals of rice were exported abroad from Rajapur, which is considered to be a fertile land for rice.

In Rajapur city and Geruwa rural municipality, rice is cultivated in an area of ​​about 16 thousand hectares. There are irrigation facilities in an area of ​​about 14,000 hectares. Rajapur, which is 154 meters above sea level, has a population of 63,294 according to the census conducted by the municipality in 2007. Locals say that Rajapur is named after Rajaram Kurmi, one of the old zamindars here.

40 years ago, they used to bring oranges, apples, ghee, carpets, herbs and other goods from the mountains to Rajapur, and from here they used to buy clothes, including salt, oil, rice, wheat flour, etc. Kedar Thapa, president of Bardiya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says that now traders from Karnali province hardly come to sell carpets, baby clothes and herbs, but do not buy goods from here.

Rajapur market was known as Golahat Mandi for 30 years, says Kashiram Sharma, a local businessman. He said that the place where the old market used to be is now a wasteland. On November 1, 1860, when Banke, Bardia, Kailali and Kanchanpur were ruled by the British Empire in India, the territories were returned to Nepal during the time of Jung Bahadur Rana. For this reason, the four districts of West Terai are called new country. Most of the area is dominated by the Tharu community. Apart from this, there are inhabitants of hilly, Awadhi origins.

Motorboats have been put into operation for tourists in the Karnali River. The goal is to attract more and more devotees to the famous Ganesha temple, dolphins and the tourist attraction on the Karnali River, including Kothiaghat, the longest bridge in Nepal. An action plan has been prepared as the natural landscape, wetlands and rivers and greenery can be seen very closely to attract domestic and foreign tourists. Besides, Tharu culture is also a historical destination for tourists.