Money
Budhigandaki hydel project on track to extend Rs5b to locals
Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project is on track to complete the distribution of compensation totalling Rs 5 billion for the acquisition of private land from project affected locals of Dhading and Gorkha within this fiscal year.Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project is on track to complete the distribution of compensation totalling Rs 5 billion for the acquisition of private land from project affected locals of Dhading and Gorkha within this fiscal year.
District Administration Offices (DAOs) of Dhading and Gorkha are preparing to complete the distribution of Rs 2.5 billion each as compensation to landowners who will relinquish land for the development of 1200 MW hydropower project within a couple weeks.
The compensation distribution process resumed last week. The process had stalled earlier, after the government scrapped the development committee formed to build the project.
The compensation distribution resumed after the Energy Ministry formed a compensation distribution unit giving it the authority to expedite the process.
“We distributed Rs 430 million to the landowners of Salang, Maidi and Khari of Dhading on Friday and we will be ready to distribute an additional Rs 830 million in a couple of days,” said Krishna Karki, coordinator of the unit. “With that, the total distribution will reach Rs 1.3 billion and we will finish distributing the remaining Rs 1.2 billion within this fiscal year.”
The DAO Dhading in Jaunary had received Rs 2.5 billion from the Finance Ministry for distribution of compensation. But the fund distribution process was delayed due to lack of human resources at Land Revenue and Survey offices.
Simialrly, the DAO of Gorkha, another project-affected district will also complete distributing compensation within this fiscal year. Like Dhading, Gorkha also received Rs 2.5 billion from the Finance Ministry in January to compensate land owners. “The DAO Gorkha will complete distributing Rs 2 billion in a week,” said Karki. “Likewise, the distribution of remaining Rs 500 million will be completed within a couple of weeks before the current fiscal year ends.”
The compensation distribution committees of the two districts have fixed the compensation rate at Rs 524,000 to Rs 835,000 for every ropani of land.
The land to be acquired by the project have been classified into five categories-paddy field, small farmland, land in market area, land adjoining a road and land near human settlements.
Paddy fields and small farmlands have been further classified into four grades, with the first grade commanding the highest compensation amount. On top of the compensation fixed by the committee, it is offering 15 percent extra to those who own less than 5 ropanis of land, and 10 percent extra to those who own less than 10 ropanis of land.
The latest report puts the number of the affected households at more than 8,000. The reservoir of the storage project will submerge 3,560 houses and the occupants will need to be resettled with proper compensation.
Likewise, 4,557 households will be partially affected by the project and need appropriate compensation.