PARASI, Oct 30: People living along the new Butwal-Gorakhpur 400 KV cross-border transmission line extension project have launched an agitation with various demands.

The local residents have called for adopting alternative ways while constructing the project. They are of the view that hundreds of acres of their land will be affected in the course of expanding the transmission line project.

Especially, people of Ramgram municipality-17 and Palhinandan rural municipality's ward number 1, 2 and 3 have been agitated.

The agitating people claim that hundreds of acres of land belonging to more than 300 farmers of these localities would be affected when the high tension line is extended above their farmland.

They have suggested the project office to construct the high tension line on an alternative alignment.

The project affected farmers have suggested using the Jharahi-Bhaluhi rivulet corridor as an alternative alignment for the extension of the high-tension power transmission line.

The Jharahi-Bhaluhi rivulet corridor is near the present alignment. They argue that using this alternative alignment will reduce 80 percent of the damage to their farmland.

The locals have also complained that the proposed compensation is inadequate. They are demanding for cent percent compensation as per the current price of land.

The farmers have also complained that they will face difficulty in taking out loans from banks by keeping their land as collateral since as per the condition of the project they cannot sell or keep as collateral the land 23 meters on both sides of the alignment of the high tension transmission line.

As per the agreement reached between the Government of Nepal and the Government of India, the 400-KV Transmission Line is being constructed under the much-talked-about US-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant.

 
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