By Shailendra Rokaya
Bajhang, June 14: The tourism infrastructures constructed in Khaptad, a major attraction of the Sudurpashchim Province, are in a sorry state due to lack of maintenance.
Tens of millions of rupees are allocated and different structures are built every year for the development of tourism in the Khaptad region. However, these structures are not maintained, turning them into sheds for stray cows and buffaloes. Many infrastructures like waiting rooms, view towers, toilets, fences and temples built to attract tourists to the area are in a dilapidated condition and some have collapsed.
Even the hermitage of the Khaptad Baba, located on an island in the middle of Khaptad, lies neglected. Its roof leaks and some tiles have fallen off. The water tap used by the Baba is also in ruins.
The roofs of more than a dozen guest houses built for tourists in the Khaptad Barracks and Tribeni area have been blown away by the wind and the doors have been smashed by cattle. The walls of many of the buildings have also cracked, making them unsafe to stay in for visitors.
There are several view towers built on small hillocks in the pastureland of Khaptad. They were built so that tourists could climb up and enjoy the view. However, the wood they are made of has started to rot. Similarly, the sign boards erected to allow travellers to roam around without getting lost have all disappeared. In short, the locals say that the money invested over the years to develop Khaptad as a tourist hotspot has all gone to waste because the relevant authorities did not protect and conserve them.
Khaptad Chhanna Rural Municipality Chairman Barka Bahadur Rokaya said, “It would be useless to pour further money to build new infrastructures without first renovating and managing the existing ones.” He added, “There is no need to build any new structure here. We should focus on repairing and restoring the existing buildings.”
There are more than 300 employees from the Khaptad National Park, the Khaptad Tourism Development Committee and the Buffer Zone Conservation Committee assigned to look after and develop the Khaptad area. But all the agencies are silent about the poor state of infrastructure here.
Khaptad National Park Ranger Kedar Das told The Rising Nepal that it was the responsibility of the Tourism Development Committee, and not the Park, to manage and maintain the tourism infrastructures. “The Park authority is only responsible for the conservation of the flora and fauna of Khaptad,” he said.
It is worth noting though that the National Park earns around Rs. 3 million annually from the entrance fees paid by tourists coming to visit Khaptad. It is for this reason that the Park cannot walk away from its responsibility to protect the structures here, opined Bhim Bahadur Khadka, chairman of the Khaptad Tourism Development Committee. “It is the responsibility of the Park, the Tourism Committee, the Nepal Army and the Buffer Zone Committee to protect the tourist infrastructures in the Khaptad area,” he said. Khadka also claimed that the present situation came about because the Tourism Committee had been without key personnel for the past five years. “But now, we will formulate a plan and immediately get started on the conservation of the infrastructures,” he assured.