Not a single family in Madi Municipality-7 and 8, Chitwan, whose crops were destroyed by wild animals in the last fiscal year received compensation from the authorities.

Nurendra Aryal, the information officer of Chitwan National Park, said the park owed Rs 7.5 million as compensation to the victims of crop depredations.

“We could not distribute the compensation in time because the Regional Forest Directorate (RFD) did not allocate the budget,” he added.

Throughout the fiscal year 2017-18 the park recorded 107 incidents of wildlife attack on domesticated animals, while 7,227 families living in the park’s buffer zone incurred crop loss. Wild animals also destroyed 76 homes.  

The RFD has been providing Rs 1 million to the family of a person killed in wildlife attack. In case of injuries, the victims could get anywhere between Rs 20,000 to Rs 200,000.

For crop depredation, each family is entitled to Rs 20,000 compensation.

Basu Dhungana, chairman of Mrigakunja Buffer Zone Consumers’ Committee, said the families who lost their crops to wildlife attack had been saddened by the delay in compensation distribution.

“Some are even suspecting that the compensation amount was misused by local leaders,” he added.

Many farming families in wards 7 and 8 of Madi Municipality had deliberately cut down the rice plants before the harvest season after wild elephants started entering their settlements.  

Wild boars attack crops in farming villages

SALYAN: People of Ramri and Aakhareni in Siddhakumakh-5, Salyan, have complained of wild boars attacking their crops. Kamari Budathoki, a local man, said the villagers had to guard their farms against wild boars during night. Last week, a farmer was injured when a wild boar attacked him while trying to chase the beast away. Aitu Bohara, a local farmer, said he left nearly 8 bighas of his farmland fallow this season due to wild boar infestation. The concerned farmers have requested the authorities to control these four-legged pests.