Itahari: Krishna Narayan Palikhe, a former deputy mayor of Dharan, is widely known as watershed conservationist. His battle and campaign to save Sardu Jaladhar (watershed) have earned him both reputation and wrath.
The Sardu watershed, located between Dharan and Bhedetar, has become an intersection after the 52-kilometer Dharan-Dhankuta road was built in 1979. The watershed area has been crowded because of growing activities.
However, the land mafias have been taking advantage of the legal loopholes left by the state when acquiring a few hectors of watershed area from the people.
During Panchyat era, then King Birendra had directed the local authority to relocate human settlement of Sardu watershed area to Morang by compensating them for the acquired land.
For the conservation of natural water sources of Dharan, the King had directed all the concerned stakeholders to relocate the 209 families of Sardu watershed area. The government had allocated 243 Bighas of land for the relocation of affected families.
But the authority relocated the 209 families without transferring the ownership of the acquired land to Sardu watershed. This is where the land mafias found legal gap to play.
Land Mafias in collusion with officials of District Land Revenue Office of Sunsari started selling the land plot of watershed area. After former deputy mayor and social activist Palikhe leant about the anomalies, he started doing everything to save the land through his social organization named People’s Concern Forum Nepal.
Palikhe collected all documents and details of 209 families including the land documents provided by the government. He was threatened several times by mafias while collecting the details.
Once his office was vandalized and padlocked for 6 months. He was even stopped from appearing before the appellate court. “Mafias had deployed six buses of goons to block our way to court and we had to give up the legal battle,” said Palikhe, adding that the court gave the verdict in favor of mafias involved in Sadu watershed citing the absence of petitioner.
Palikhe knocked on the door of Ministry of Soil Conservation and Land Management in 2015. The secretary at the ministry Shankar Adhikari made secretary-level decision and issued circular to land revenue offices of Sunsari, directing to freeze the buy and sale of Sardu watershed area land on 3rd July, 2015.
But a ministry-level decision overturned the earlier decision on 27 April, 2016. Minister Agni Sapkota made this decision under the influence of the then local Maoist leaders of Dharan, Palikhe claimed.
The battle of Palikhe and his fellow conservationists was dealt another huge blow when the Supreme Court ruled on 31, March, 2011, that the 42 Bighas of land of Sardu watershed can be used by people.
“The Supreme court should have thoroughly studied the background that all petitioners were given land in compensation while relocating them to Morang from Sardu watershed area during Panchyat era,” said Palikhe.
According to Palikhe, the ownership of around 362 Bigas of land was not officially transferred to Sardu watershed area even after the affected families were compensated for their land during relocation. “We are not in favor of encroaching private properties for Sardu watershed area,” said Palikhe, “But the mafias can’t encroach upon the land of Sardu watershed that have already been compensated.”
“Sardu can produce 42 MLT of waters during dry season and 98 MLT of waters during rainy seasons. The amount of water will be enough for Dharan,” said Palikhe citing IUCN report.
If the watershed area is encroached by humans Dharan will turn into a dry desert. Palikhe said it is in the hand of either the federal Cabinet or Supreme Court to save Dharan from turning into a desert.
