By Karuna Thapa
Kathmandu, March 29
For the last seven days, the Chhayangkuti-Pukhuwa road portion at the entrance to the 900
MW Arun III Hydropower Project in Sankhuwasabha has been closed. The victims of the
entrance’s Chhayangkuti-Pukhuwa road section have begun tension by stopping the road indefinitely, claiming that they have not gotten any compensation.
The Arun III project and access road have been closed down for seven days, according to Harka Singh Rai, chairman of the struggle committee, due to a lack of compensation for the Chayangkuti-Pukhuwa road portion. Chairman Rai stated that the project’s entry and powerhouse were delayed owing to a three-year delay in receiving compensation for the Chhayangkuti-Pukhuwa road section. Chairman Rai stated that the project was able to obtain 30 meters of land by paying a 15-meter compensation.
Locals have been protesting since March 22 by blocking the powerhouse’s access road and construction because they have not been compensated despite the fact that half of the Arun III project’s work has been finished.
Since last Tuesday, residents at the entrance have stopped physical building activities. For
numerous years, there has been a compensation dispute between Chyangkuti and the
hydropower site Diding. After failing to pay the government fee for compensation in this sector, the villagers have blocked the road and are refusing to work. The victim claimed that 200 households in the region had been left out of the compensation process.
India’s Patel Engineering Consultancy Company is working on the project’s engine. He said that the Chhayangkuti-Pukhuwa Compensation Struggle Committee and the Arun III Concern Committee had repeatedly brought the matter of compensation to the attention of the responsible organizations, but that no hearing had taken place. The Chhayangkuti-Pukhuwa section of the road is 28.5 kilometers long.
The project, which is being built at a cost of Rs. 144 billion, is expected to begin production in 2024. Sutlej Hydropower Corporation of India is building the Arun III Hydropower Project
(SJVN). At the Arun III dam site in Makalu Gaonpalika-5 Faxinda Dobhan and Chichila
Gaonpalika-2 Diding Pukhuwa, a powerhouse is being built. More than 20 more small
construction businesses are said to be operating via these two companies, according to the
project. The Arun III hydroelectric project employs almost 3,000 people, including Indians and Nepalis.
