Kathmandu. Local landowners are facing problems as they have not received compensation for the land acquired for the proposed East-West Electric Railway. They have demanded immediate compensation or release of the land as per the prevailing market price.

The government had acquired land for the construction of 126.75 kilometers electric railway from Kakarvitta of Jhapa to Inaruwa of Sunsari as a project of national pride. For this, the government had issued notices on June 24 and 27, 2020 to stop the transfer of rights through the Land Revenue Office.

According to Gyanendra Niraula, central secretary of the East-West Railway Compensation Coordination Committee, 5,424 plots of land belonging to over 4,000 households in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts have been frozen. “Even after six years of the land being frozen, the government neither provides compensation nor releases the land. ”

Similarly, 2,457 plots of land in Jhapa, 1,668 plots in Morang and 1,329 plots of land in Sunsari were acquired for the project. Two entire settlements of Mechinagar and Birtamode are included in the acquisition area. The railway sector covers 512.69 hectares of arable land, 53.61 hectares of river and water land, 33 hectares of residential land, 19.6 hectares of forest and 16.86 hectares of road network.

The Department of Railways has already demarcated the boundaries of the acquired area. Landowners have not been able to use their private property due to a complete ban on sale and purchase of land, share distribution, bank mortgage and transfer of land.

Secretary of the coordination committee Niraula said that the problem is still the same despite the change of government and ministers from time to time. According to him, the affected people have been demanding proper compensation as per the prevailing price or release the land along with compensation for the withholding for six years.