Land acquisition begins for Chinese-funded Damak Industrial Estate

Published On: December 7, 2018 09:17 AM NPT By: YUVRAJ BIWAS

DAMAK, Dec 7: The land acquisition process of the much-hyped Damak Clean Industrial Estate to be constructed with the financial assistance of the Chinese government in Jhapa has kicked off. The industrial estate has already started the process to distribute compensation for 411 bighas (one bigha is equal to o.4 acre) of land.

On November 26, the District Compensation Determination Committee (DCDC) had notified the landowners to reach the office for their share of compensation. The DCDC has valued arable land at Rs 2.2 million per bigha, riverbank areas at Rs 200,000 per bigha, and non-arable areas at Rs 800,000 per bigha.

The industrial estate has already acquired the land ownership certificate for 942 bighas of land out of the total 2,200 bighas required. In this phase of compensation distribution, the industrial estate is going to distribute compensation for 411 bighas and 2 kattha of land.

The chief district officer, officials from the Land Survey Office and Land Revenue Office had evaluated the land and held a discussion before deciding the compensation rate. The industrial estate management has started preparations to start distributing the compensation as per the rate decided by the officials.

Chairman and Director General of the Industrial District Management Limited (IDML), Nanda Kishor Basnet informed Republica that the works regarding the acquisition of another 500 bighas of land will start immediately after the distribution of compensation for the 411 bighas of land. The management has allocated Rs 32 million as compensation for land acquisition.

“We faced some technical problems,” Basnet said, “The construction works will catch pace soon.”

The industrial estate bankrolled by the Chinese One Belt One Road initiative, boasts of nearly a hundred industries. Although the IDML had assured the Chinese investors that the management would acquire the needed 411 bighas of land, Sanjay Thapa of the management’s Damak information office told Republica that the IDML is now having problems with the land acquisition.

“We have observed that it will be a problem to acquire the necessary 411 bighas of land,” he said, “We will now hold a meeting with the Chinese side to find a solution to this problem.”

After the IDML acquires the land, it will inform the authorities concerned to start building the infrastructures in the estate. According to the IDML, the industries will be built with joint efforts from the private sector and the locals. According to Chairman Basnet, the infrastructures will be built by the local committee and the Chinese investors.

“The design of the industrial estate has already been made as per the government’s standards,” he said, “The roads, bridges and other infrastructures will be built according to the design.” He added that it is yet to be decided who will construct the embankments along the local Ratuwa River.