Random expenditure without a master plan, most of the plans are stalled
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The government established Rara National Park 49 years ago to protect the largest Rara Lake in Nepal. In the year 2032, the government declared the park after removing the Chapru settlement. After the establishment of the park, about 450 families left and moved to Bardia.
Currently, there are about 441 families in 10 unit committees in the central area. But due to low budget and lack of master plan, neither systematic infrastructure has been developed nor the locals have been able to benefit as expected.
"Everyone from workers to boat drivers, transporters, hotels, etc. are benefiting from Phewa Lake in Pokhara," said Kamal Rokaya, a local, "There is no benefit except that we have the biggest lake in Nepal near our village."
Due to the lack of physical infrastructure in Rara, the arrival of tourists has not been able to increase significantly, while the income of the locals is low . "There is no development and no way to earn income for us," said local Kamala Rokaya, "even the budget for Rara's development has been lopsided." Karn Rawal, a local leader, said that due to the neglect of the government, the residents of the central region have been forced to live in poverty for a long time.
'The local people are deprived of basic development because the park does not allow them to build roads, electricity, etc., when the crops planted by the farmers are destroyed by wild animals, the local produce is not enough to eat even for 3 months,' he said, 'because of the attraction of non-governmental organizations like other parks, no one has helped in earning a living, from the park. Locals have suffered more harm than good.'
During the establishment of the park, the government also acquired the land of about 300 households in Serilamalek located in Chaya Nath Rara Municipality. They still haven't been able to get relief and resettlement facilities. Mahesh Neupane, the senior conservation officer on behalf of the park, said that since the annual income of the park is more than 5 million, the locals of the central area could not be included in the income-earning activities. According to him, the federal government is sending a budget of 40 million to 60 million rupees annually. According to him, about 60 percent of the budget is spent on salaries, so there is a problem in infrastructure construction.
Since July of the current financial year, the park has reported a revenue of around 10 lakh rupees from tourists. The park collects revenue of Rs 100 per person from domestic tourism. Last year, 17,000 tourists came to visit Rara, senior conservation officer Neupane informed. According to him, last year about 47 lakh revenue was collected. According to him, 30 to 50 percent of the local expenses are spent for the development of the intermediate area.
Meen Rawal, the chairman of the Central Region Development Committee, said that they are forced to live in poverty due to lack of income generation programs in the central region. According to him, after the arrival of air service in Mugu in 2062 and road network in 2069, internal and external tourists started coming from outside. But he said, except for some horse traders, boat drivers, hotel operators, others could not find employment. "Other than the 2 big hotels near Raratal, tourists don't stay anywhere else. We also built homestays for the convenience of tourists, but they were closed when no tourists came," he said. The process of going abroad would have stopped .'
The main tourist destination of Karnali is Mugu's Raratal . Photo : Kantipur
Locals complain that even though the budget for the development of Raratal has been frozen every year, the development has not been neglected. Most of the budget allocated by the federal and state governments for the development of RARA is being frozen for the last 5 years. 4 years ago, the federal government allocated a budget of Rs. The amount was returned without being used . Similarly, the state government allocated 40 million rupees in 2075, 076 and 077 to build a bicycle road around Raratal. If all the funds are frozen after not being used, the construction of the bicycle road has been stalled for a long time.
Civic leader Rup Bahadur Malla said that tourists are suffering when the budget for the development of Rara is withdrawn. "There is no good road or accommodation for tourists," he said, "There is no quality hotel, so tourists are forced to sleep in tents and sleep."
Tourism Board is also allocating a budget of 15 to 20 lakh rupees every year for the development of Rara. Birkh Bahadur Rokaya of Murmagaon said that this amount is also returned every year. "Even before, there was a problem of the funds being returned without being used," he said.
The data of Rara National Park shows that the 70 million budget that came for the development of Rara during the period of 3 years has been withdrawn due to various reasons. "Had the budget for infrastructure development been properly utilized, the basic needs of the tourists could have been met," said Neupane, senior conservation officer on behalf of the park Even though there is a budget, the budget gets frozen due to the fact that the authorization comes late at the end of the financial year.
Last year, 2 crore rupees were allocated for the construction of bicycle road in Rara . But due to the negligence of the contractor company Shankar/Malika Construction Services, only one kilometer of the ring road construction work was completed . Similarly, the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment of the state government allocated Rs.
The depth of Raratal is 167, length is 5 km and width is 3 km . The lake is spread over an area of 10.8 square kilometers. The park covers the territory of Chaya Nath Rara Municipality of Mugu, Soru, Khatyad Rural Municipality and Kankasundari Village Palik of Jumla.
Likewise, up to 5,000 tourists are going to Phoksundo, the deepest lake in Nepal, every year. But the lack of infrastructure is a big challenge to reach Phoksundo Lake, which is 3,650 meters above sea level and is about 650 meters deep. To go to Phoksundo Lake, which is 36 km north of Dolpa headquarters Dunai, you have to walk for 2 days from Dunai . "When you get there, it's like winning a war, it's hard to find the road, difficult and steep, there is no chance to escape if something slips," said Harishchandra Shah of Birendranagar, who returned from Phoksundo Lake 2 weeks ago, "At least bridges and horse paths were built on the rivers on the way. It would also be very convenient for tourists He said that tourists reach Phoksundo in a painful way.
After reaching Rigmo village near Phoksundo Lake, there are only about half a dozen hotels . The local Chhewang Lama said that in this village, which is home to about 45 families, no one else except the hotel owner has taken any advantage. According to him, the attraction of tourists is increasing in Phoksundo Lake and other tourist destinations around the lake. But due to the inconvenience of electricity, communication, suitable accommodation, internet etc., the tourists who came once do not agree to come again. 'With no road facilities, we have to walk on steep, narrow and steep roads, we have to crawl somewhere,' said the local Kumar Budha, 'There are no bridges in the Phoksundo river, so tourists are forced to take risks.' He said that there is no option to charter a helicopter for tourists if they have health problems. He said that until reaching from Kagani to Phoksundo Lake, the mobile network is not working, so there is a compulsion to be disconnected from communication for two whole days.
The ward president of Chefoksundo rural municipality-8, Nima Lama said that due to the lack of budget and the lack of a master plan, the locals have not benefited much from the lake. "The tourists who come here take local products in the form of koseli and the locals become self-sufficient. If they could mobilize the youth as guides and volunteers, they would get employment at the local level," he said Although the annual budget of 20 million to 40 million is received through the parks and the state government, most of the budget is frozen, but construction of scaffolding, Kathe bridge and There is only normal work, including the maintenance of horse tracks. "Even if a horse road was built from Sangta through Phoksundo Lake to She Gumba, it would have been a huge task in infrastructure construction," he said.
Chief Conservation Officer of Rara National Park Nurendra Aryal said that it is difficult to do infrastructure construction works in Phoksundotal due to the difficult and difficult geography. "Due to the inconvenience of transportation, the cost of transportation is high, so it will take at least 40/50 lakh rupees around Phoksundo Lake to build a project that costs 8/10 lakh rupees in Dunai, even if the budget is not enough," he said. According to him, during the 5 months of the current financial year, about 1 million 53 thousand revenues have been received from tourists. From last July to October, 1,066 tourists have visited Phoksundo Lake.
