DANG, March 5: Locals in Dang, living in the buffer zone of Banke National Park, have boycotted voting, demanding the relocation of their settlement.
Not a single vote has been cast so far at two polling centers in Wards 1 and 7 of Babai Rural Municipality, which fall under the buffer zone of Banke National Park. Voters from these areas had already decided not to participate in this election. Residents, who formed a Settlement Relocation Struggle Committee, had collectively decided a month ago not to vote until their demands were addressed.
“We are extremely insecure because of wild animals, and our agricultural produce is repeatedly destroyed by them,” said Chandra Bahadur Rangu Magar, chair of the struggle committee. “Our main demand is that the state relocate us properly. Since that demand has not been fulfilled, we decided not to participate in this election.”
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According to him, no voter has cast a ballot so far at the Janata Residential Secondary School polling center in Babai–1 and the Deuti Secondary School polling center in Malai, Babai–7. There are 682 voters registered at the Janata Residential Secondary School polling center and 585 voters at the Deuti Secondary School polling center.
Locals say wild boars and monkeys frequently destroy their crops. Recently, tigers have also become a major threat in the area. “Tigers have often come to the sheds and killed goats, sheep, and cattle, and it is difficult even for people to stay safe from them. In our neighboring village Ghuiyabari, one person has already been killed in a tiger attack,” Magar said. “Wild animals like boars and monkeys destroy the crops we plant in our fields. We have been demanding proper relocation because of these hardships, but the state has not addressed our concerns. Since the state ignored our safety despite our insecurity, we collectively decided to boycott the election.”
They had also traveled to the Forest Ministry a month ago to request settlement relocation. However, they were told that since the election was near, the relocation process could not begin immediately. Upon returning from Kathmandu, they decided to boycott the election.
“We never know when we might become prey for a tiger. We have asked for security,” said another local, Manish Bik. “If the state does not care about our safety, why should we vote in an election organized by the same state? Not a single person has voted so far, and we will not vote either.”
This area lies in the southwestern part of Dang district and is considered one of the district’s most remote regions. It falls under Dang Constituency No. 3.
