Locals of Sarlahi have demanded the authorities to re-evaluate the compensation amount fixed by the Compensation Fixation Committee of the East-West Electric Railway. According to them, the amount fixed by the committee is insufficient.

A struggle committee formed to put pressure on the government to increase the compensation amount organised a press meet at Hariban on Saturday and announced various protest programmes.

The struggle committee has decided to organise a sit-in at the District Administration Office on May 30 and 31, and obstruct the construction of the railway line.

Dolraj Pandey, coordinator of the struggle committee in Bagmati, said that they are compelled to stage demonstrations after the concerned authorities failed to pay attention to their demands.

“We had planned to shift from the area after receiving the compensation, but the amount is insufficient even to purchase a land plot. The government is trying to make us homeless,” Pandey said.

Nagendra Sah, an elected official, said, “The Compensation Fixation Committee has fixed the land’s valuation based on the going rate of 40 years ago.”

According to the locals, the Compensation Fixation Committee has fixed Rs 250,000 to Rs 3 million for a kattha of land in Nawalpur, Rs 300,000 to Rs 1 million per Kattha in Hariban, and Rs 250,000 to Rs 1.2 million per Kattha in Bagmati. Landowners said that the compensation amount is four times less than the current value of land.

Ganesh Prasad Prasai, mayor of Hariban Municipality, said that the landowners should get compensation in accordance with the current value of their lands.

“Landowners whose land plot lies on the railway line are only getting Rs 900,000, but their neighbours are selling similar land plots for Rs 2.5 million each. I request the government to re-evaluate the compensation amount,” Prasai said.

The construction work of 108km of railway track in the Bardibas-Simara road section started five years ago. Chief District Officer Drona Pokharel said that the compensation amount has been fixed as per the report submitted by the sub-committee.

“Compensation amount cannot be re-evaluated without the directives of the higher authority,” Pokharel said.