Chitwan National Park prepares to set up Joint Security Post

CHITWAN, June 27: The Chitwan National Park (CNP) will be setting up a Joint Security Post for the protection of biodiversity corridor and wildlife of the Tikauli jungle located between Bharatpur metropolitan city and Ratnanagar municipality.

The CNP’s new initiative comes following a story on biodiversity road and wildlife security challenges carried by the National News Agency (RSS) on June 19.

The process for setting up the post to be manned by five officials from Nepal Army (NA) and CPN is underway, according to CPN’s Chief Conservation Officer, Ram Chandra Kandel.

“We will monitor the vehicles plying the road, take action and even charge them fine,” Kandel said, adding “We will establish the post within mid July and tighten the security.” The people travelling through the road that connects CPN’s Chure and Mahabharata hill ranges constantly spot tigers, rhinos, deer and leopards on the road.

The biodiversity corridor is deemed highly sensitive stretch of the East – West highway. Last year authorities set up 10 CCTV cameras along the 7 km stretch of the road passing through the jungle and started monitoring, but it has not been effective.

At least 13 accidents involving the jungle’s wildlife were recorded last year, but only three vehicle riders were subjected to legal action, District Forest Office data reveals.

The cameras were set up to inform the travellers of the sensitivity of the road, to ban them from stopping their vehicles, regulate their speed, taken action in case of accidents and for management of the garbage.

CNP Information Official, Nurendra Aryal, said there are a total of 57 security posts in the national park. RSS