A demand of one and a half billion rupees for exploitation of forest products, imprisonment for 5 years and a fine of 1 lakh rupees
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On Thursday, District Forest Office Sarlahi has filed a forest case against 6 people including the suspended Chief Bharat Thapa and Deputy Chief Leela Kumari Moktan of Bagmati Municipality of Sarlahi for trespassing Sagarnath forest, with a demand of 1.5 billion rupees.
Bagmati-4 and 12 Bagmati-4 and 12 Sagarnath forest area of about 173 hectares of land and construction of Bharat lake, mango orchards, roads around the lake and other physical structures, Forest Office Malangwa has filed a case against Thapa and Moktan, the then head of District Coordination Committee Methur Chaudhary, then Chief Administrative Officer Bimal Kumar Pokhrel, Accounts Officer Vishwaraj Pokhrel and then engineer Sagar Paudelvirudh . 1 billion 49 crore 39 lakh 43 thousand rupees has been demanded against them.
City Chief Thapa and Deputy Chief Moktan are under suspension after the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission filed a corruption case in the special court on 29th June 2081 for misappropriating the property of Sagarnath Forest. District Forest Office has also filed a case against them as the case of corruption charges has not been resolved.
They have been accused of building Bharat Lake and other physical structures with the connivance of officials and employees of Jagga Nagar in Karmaiya area under Murtiya sector owned by Sagarnath Forest Development Project.
District Court Information Officer Sikinder Kapar informed that a case has been registered from the Forest Office on Thursday, saying that forest land has been encroached and used for private purposes. In the case of forest encroachment, the Forest Office had also collected evidence from authorities and the Forest Department. After that, the investigation by the Division Forest Office proceeded and a case was filed on Thursday, said Santosh Jha, Head of the Division Forest Office.
"The forest land has been encroached upon, the forest office has knocked on the court's door against it," Jha said, "The construction of the structure on the forest land was not even approved, so we have filed a case against the encroachers, and they have been accused of damaging the forest land by excavating stones, gravel, sand, and soil."
(Bharat Lake) 35.20 hectares under the first pond, 32.60 hectares under the second pond, 66.70 hectares under horticulture while constructing mango orchards, 38.50 hectares during the construction of roads and other physical structures around the lake, totaling 173 hectares in the lake area and around 815.20 hectares in agriculture and settlements, 988.20 hectares of forest land has been encroached. Out of which 6 defendants have been found guilty of encroachment on 173 hectares. The Forest Office has informed that supplementary investigation is ongoing regarding the encroachment of the remaining 815 hectares.
Thapa and Moktan were elected for the second time from the Maoists in the last local elections. Earlier, Maoist leaders and workers in the district had been holding pressure and agitation programs in the Division Forest Office in favor of Chief Thapa and Deputy Chief Moktan. They have been accusing Thapa and Moktan of trying to trap them by force.
Thapa has given a statement to the investigation officer that he constructed fish ponds in Budhi Bagmati river Ukas and Bagar area. In the statement, Thapa has claimed that the fishpond has been constructed with the joint investment of the union, state and local levels after the initial environmental test report was approved by the district coordination committee.
However, in the indictment filed in the court, it is mentioned that during the construction process, they encroached without taking permission from Sagarnath Forest. In the case, as it is an offense against the Forest Act, the defendant has been demanded to be imprisoned for up to 5 years and fined accordingly. It has also been demanded to include the encroached forest land in the name of Sagarnath forest.
In this case, one and a half billion rupees has been demanded for removing/damaging forest products and minerals by massaging forests. It is mentioned in the indictment that more than 1 billion 49 million rupees were collected for misappropriation of 47 lakh 285 cubic meters of forest produce (stones, gravel, sand, soil etc.) from the forest area during the construction of structures including lakes.
Forest Office has stated that the amount to be paid at the rate of 9 rupees per cubic meter has been fixed. During the investigation, since the defendants were released on bail after the statement and did not come in contact with each other, an arrest warrant has been issued against them from the court and a demand has also been made to bring them to court. The forest office has said that additional investigations are continuing on this matter as others are also involved in forest encroachment.
It is mentioned in the indictment that during the construction of Bharat Lake, he was involved in deforestation by conducting an environmental impact assessment against the law. On May 29 last year, the Authority filed a special corruption case against him along with Deputy Chief Moktan and others, saying that corruption and acute wealth of Chief Thapa were seen in the illegally constructed lake. The case is pending in a special court.
