Govt not to extend lease term for CNP resorts
Kathmandu: Six hotels inside the Chitwan National Park (CNP) including Tiger Tops is shutting down from July 16 following the expiry of the lease agreement.
Despite continuous pressure from stakeholders, the government remained firm in its decision not to extend the deadline of mid-July, 2012.
Ram Prasad Lamsal, spokesperson at Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation said, “The final deadline has expired and the agreement has not been renewed which means none of the hotels can continue their operation.” He said as per the exit plan, entrepreneurs will be able to relocate their property by mid-December, 2012.
Six hotels which were operating inside the park includes more than four-decade old Tiger Tops along with Safari Narayani, Chitwan Jungle Lodge, Machan Wildlife Resort, Island Jungle Resort and Temple Tigers. Gaida Wildlife Camp shut down operation in 2009 following labor unrest.
The Forest Ministry is determined not to renew the lease agreement in any case. Lamsal said, “ We will neither renew the agreement nor allow any new party to operate inside the CNP.”
In 2009, similar deadline was extended by the government considering Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011. The hotels which were shut for seven months had resumed the operation after that.
The entrepreneurs claimed they had invested around Rs 2 billion in the six resorts and were paying Rs 200 million as royalty to the government. Conservationists had asked the government not to allow the operation of the hotels inside the CNP claiming it was degrading the natural habitat of wild animals as well as the environment .- Republica
