The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee today directed the council of ministers and the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation not to enter into any agreement with the hotels, lodges and resorts located inside the Chitwan National Park.
The PAC meeting, chaired by committee chairman Ram Krishna Yadav, sent letters to the ministry and the council of ministers directing the latter against renewing contracts with these facilities until the PAC came up to its decision on whether to renew their contract papers.
The 15-year contracts between the government and the seven hotels and resorts -- Tiger Tops, Chitwan Jungle Lodge, Gaida Wildlife, Machan Wildlife, Temple Tiger, Narayani Safari and the Island Jungle Resort -- situated inside the CNP, expired on July 15. These hotels and lodges are famous for jungle safari in Asia.
The meeting also formed a five-member sub-committee led by UCPN-Maoist lawmaker Narayan Prasad Dahal to look into environmental impact inside the CNP due to the presence of the hotels. Members of the sub-committee include lawmakers Mahendra Dwoj GC of Nepali Congress, Lalmani Chaudhary of CPN-UML, Rajlal Yadav of Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum and Keshav Mainali of Chure Bhavar Ekta Party Nepal. The sub-committee has been asked to come up with its findings on the issue within 15 days.
Earlier, the council of ministers had also formed a panel led by Finance Minister Surendra Pandey to look into the issue. It may be recalled that most of the lawmakers last week aired their views against renewing the contract. They had suggested relocating them elsewhere as they posed affected wildlife habitat.
Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Deepak Bohara, who was called to discuss the issue nearly a week ago, however, had lobbied for renewing the contract, citing the upcoming Tourism Year Nepal, 2011. As many as 15 associations in tourism business had appealed to the government to renew the contract of the hotels and resorts that pay around Rs 40 million to the exchequer annually.
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