SINDHULI, May 19 -- Hundred bighas of forest lands at Jhunga in Dudhauli Municipality and Chandanpur in Kamalamai Municipality in Sindhuli district have been encroached upon for building private properties.

According to authorities, the lands are taken over by people who call themselves 'landless'. Locals said that deforestation started in the forest area some two decades ago.

The encroachers have also started to cultivate on the forest land these days. Some of them have built houses in Chandanpur forest. Budhe Dunuwar, a local, claimed that some powerful people have grabbed the forest land in the name of landless people.

"The area has witnessed a haphazard cutting down of trees," Dunuwar said.

However, the concerned authorities are s...