Landless people aren’t the only ones who have encroached upon public land to build their homes in Bardiya. Various government and non-government agencies in the district have been found occupying public land without taking permission from the District Forest Office.

In Bansgadhi, the area police office has constructed its office building on 10 katthas of land that is under the protection of Banshakti Community Forest. The building was constructed with the financial assistance of Peace Fund Secretariat.

Assistant Forest Officer Dronaraj Sharma said the land where the building stands was taken over without the knowledge of the forest office. He claimed that neither the forest ministry nor other concerned authorities were  informed when the area police office decided to build on the land.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Madhav Prasad Nepal, however, said that the building was constructed with the approval of locals, forest officials and political parties. He added the land encroachment allegation was untrue. 

Besides the area police office in Bansgadhi, a police station at Motipur-8 also stands accused of constructing its office building on a forestland that belongs to 

Saptidevi Community Forest. 

In the same community forest, Sharma said, Bardiya Multiple Campus has also constructed its building without taking permission from the forest office.

Sharma added that eight buildings have also been constructed on a forestland at Orali Bazaar while the district office of the Red Cross has built its building on a forestland at Belawa Chowk in Dodhara VDC. 

Apart from the land under illegal occupation of several government and non-government organisations, landless people have taken over nearly 98 hectares of forestland in Bardiya.