The construction of the Mechi-Mahakali Electrical Railway has stalled once again after locals who have landholdings under the track alignment obstructed work demanding compensation. They damaged JCB excavators brought by the contractor, forcing construction crews to withdraw.

A long-standing compensation dispute flared up again, and landowners in the Betauna area of Chandrapur-8 have said that they will not allow the contractor to resume work unless they get their money.

The contractor readied to resume work on the railway project after the government loosened the lockdown since it proved to have been effective in containing the transmission of Covid-19, and declared that construction crews could go back to work on mega projects by maintaining physical distancing.

Following the government decision, the contractor restarted work after obtaining permission from the District Administration Office. But as soon as work began, the landowners damaged the JCB equipment by throwing stones at it.

The railway did not publicise the incident which happened three days ago in order to avoid fuss. It did not even file a report with the police. Some political party leaders urged authorities not to take legal steps, but to resolve the issue through dialogue.

Project manager Amit Rijal said they had prepared to restart work even amid the lockdown by taking appropriate precautions, but were forced to step back after the construction equipment was broken.

“We started work after talking with locals and getting permission from the local administration. But we were compelled to stop after they damaged the equipment,” he said.

The police instantly reached the construction site after the incident, but they did not take action due to pressure from political party leaders.

The local residents had prevented work on the railway project for around four months, demanding a review of the irrigation channel and an increase in the land compensation amount.

They formed a landowners struggle committee and launched a protest programme, which ended after they reached a deal with the District Administration Office on correcting mistakes in the irrigation channel.

They also signed a written agreement that they would not put up obstacles in the construction of the railway as their demand regarding fixing the compensation amount had been addressed.

The contractor resumed work after talks with the coordinator of the struggle committee Prahlad Poudel, but the landowners got in the way saying that they had not received their money. A local resident of Betauna said they were compelled to obstruct work because they had not been paid as promised.

The setback in the construction of the railway in the Santapur and Rangpur area of the Nijgadh division will push back the completion date, officials said. This stretch is part of the Bardibas-Nijgadh section of the Mechi Mahakali railway track.

Lumbini, Apex and Thani JV Construction hold a Rs700 million contract to lay gravel and earth, build the base, bridges and box culverts, and plant greenery along the track.

Construction work on the 975-km, cross-country railway began in August 2019 and was slated to be completed by January 2022. But it will not be finished as per schedule due to a series of hold-ups, the company said.