Sankhuwasabha, Oct 29: The victims have been protesting since last September 2, 2023 after they did not receive compensation for the entry roadway of the 900 MW Arun III hydropower project under construction in Sankhuwasabha district.
The people from Khandbari Municipality-4, Chhayangkuti to Chichila Rural Municipality-2, Diding road section have been demanding the compensation. Despite repeated demands for compensation for the 24-km area of the Chhayangkuti-Diding Pukhuwa road section, the victims started an indefinite protest after not receiving the compensation. The victims continued their protest even on Bada Dashain festival.
The Arun III Entrance Compensation Victims’ Struggle Committee has continued the agitation by blocking the transportation of construction materials for the project. The Committee Coordinator Janikumar Rai informed that the protest committee has stopped all the transport vehicles of the project by gathering at Chyangkuti entrance center of the power generation house.
Coordinator Rai said that the protest will not stop until the project deposit their compensation in their bank account. The landowner has stopped the construction of the project saying that they could not receive compensation for the 454 ropani land. Although the compensation for the land was provided in 2046BS (34 years back), some of the land owner could not receive the compensation.
More than 65 percent of the project has been completed so far.
Although the cabinet meeting of the government has decided to provide compensation for the exempted land, the government has not been able to give the compensation yet. Even after the closure of the project for a long time, there is no attempt to settle the issue, so the government has to bear a loss of five crore rupees daily.
In the Project Development Agreement (PDA) with the Indian Sutlej Hydropower Corporation, which is constructing the Arun III, it is mentioned that the Nepalese government will have to pay compensation of Rs. 5 crores daily.
