The Supreme Court (SC) has paved the way for reopening of six hotels inside the Chitwan National Park (CNP) that were shut down for three years. The SC has revoked three writ petitions filed to close these hotels.
Three groups had moved the SC two years ago accusing the government of trying to renew the license of hotels inside the CNP. Hoteliers from Chitwan Sharad Shretsha and Amar Narayn Mali, and advocate duo Dhananjaya Khanna and Bijay Kumar Basnet had filed separate petitions demanding closure of the hotels. The joint bench of senior justices Sushila Karki and Kalyan Shrestha revoked their writ petitions on Monday.
The government had closed the hotels inside the CNP on recommendation of the sub-committee under the Public Accounts Committee, and the Committee on Natural Resources and Means of the previous parliament. The two committees had directed for closure of the hotels for conservation of wildlife and environment, but the decision was widely criticized. Hoteliers in Chitwan outside the CNP had also been lobbying for closure of the hotels inside the CNP. The government had refused to renew those hotels forcing them to shut down. Equipment of those hotels have been damaged due to disuse owing to the delay in court verdict.
Chitwan Jungle Lodge, Gaida Wild Life Camp, Machan Wild Life Resort, Island Jungle Resort, Temple Tiger Jungle Resort and Tiger Tops Hotel were in operation inside the CNP. Gaida was closed before the episode. These hotels, that have been in operation for around five decades, were waiting for the SC verdict, before clearing out from the CNP. They are not enthusiastic even after the court verdict in their favor as the equipment have been damaged, and the government reserves the rights to renew the hotels. “The ball is now in the government’s court even after the SC verdict. The government could not reopen the hotels even if it so wished earlier,” Managing Director of Temple Tiger Basanta Raj Mishra says. “We had operated the hotels by completing all procedures as per the laws of the land. We will help in branding of Chitwan if the government were to allow us,” he adds.
He rues the fact that hotels inside the CNP were shut down even though hotels inside the jungle have been opened in India and South Asia copying that in Chitwan. “This has had a huge impact on the tourism sector. The hotels inside the CNP were accused of poaching by devaluing their contribution toward conservation of bio diversity and promotion of tourism,” he complains.
The six hotels inside the CNP have been shut down after the end of fiscal year 2068/69. The government has not renewed license of hotels up to 48 years old. The hotels were closed after the SC issued an interim order to stop the renewal process. The then Forest Minister Deepak Bohara had renewed the hotels for three years in 2009.
The Committee on Natural Resources and Means of the previous parliament had directed for removal of the hotels from the CNP by the end of fiscal year 2068/69. The hotels had been providing direct and indirect employment to around 3,000 persons, and been paying over Rs 200 million a year to the state in revenues
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