Residents of Chandrapur-8 in Rautahat have formed a struggle committee to protest against the construction of a sub-station of the Mechi-Mahakali Electric Railway in their settlement. The construction will displace more than 600 households in the municipality, locals say.

They have also submitted a memorandum to the District Administration Office (DAO) to draw attention of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Railways (DoR), Ministry of Physical Infrastructures and Transport, offices of land survey and land revenue, and the municipal office.

A meeting was held in the village on Saturday where the locals decided to stage a demonstration against the government’s decision. Locals have formed the Railway Sub-station Victim’s Struggle Committee to protest against the construction.

“We are not against the construction of the railway track,” said Damodar Ghimire, coordinator of the struggle committee.

“We have started our protest after the authorities planned to clear the settlement for the construction of the sub-station. We will not allow them to remove the settlement at any cost.”  

According to locals, the government is adamant that a sub-station be built in the settlement even though there’s an open space nearby.

Motipur, Hatisara and Thalahitole, among other nearby areas, will have to be resettled to construct the sub-station. Around 600 metres of the railway track has already been surveyed near the southern part of the settlement.

The DAO has already published a 35-day notice in Gorkhapatra relating to land acquisition of the Bardibas-Nijgadh railway stretch along the Mechi-Mahakali Electric Railway on February 19. According to the notice, the entire village will be resettled for the construction of the railway sub-station, said Saroj Bachhar, a member of the struggle committee.

However, the DoR said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the railway was prepared two years ago.

We will discuss and solve the problem through dialogue, said Balaram Bista, director of the DoR.