SINDHULI, July 6: Site observation of areas that will be affected by the Sunkoshi Marine Diversion Multipurpose Project has begun.

Officials have started making site visit after the government declared the project a national pride project and allocated budget to it for the upcoming fiscal year. A preliminary study of houses and agricultural land in affected areas is being conducted by a sub-committee formed under Compensation Determination Committee.

The sub-committee is led by Assistant Chief District Officer Bijaya Prasain. She told Republica that the sub-committee will submit report of the preliminary study to the committee very soon.

"It is our first observation visit. The sub-committee has representations from district offices of agriculture and land reforms and management as well as the local units," she added.

The sub-committee recently made observation visit to Kusumtar in Ward 2 of Kamalamai Municipality. As per the preliminary study, 15 bigha of farm land 25 household in Kusumtar will be affected by the project.

"We will be conducting observation and field visits in different phases,” Prasain said, adding that land acquisition works will be carried out on the basis of data collected during observation and field visits.

In his budget speech for the upcoming fiscal year, Minister for Finance Yuba Raj Khatiwada announced Sunkoshi Marine Diversion Multipurpose Project as a national pride project. The government has allocated Rs 2.5 billion to the project for FY2019/20.

Upon completion, the multipurpose project will irrigate 80,000 hectares of land in Rautahat and Sarlahi districts.

The project will divert waters of Sunkoshi River to Marin River of Sindhuli and then to Bagmati Irrigation Project.

 
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