People of the remote Karnali region say they are unhappy with the land compensation amount fixed by the Phukot Karnali hydropower project, a 480 MW scheme in Kalikot.

The land rate fixed by the district price determination committee in Raskot is low, said Maniraj Baral, deputy mayor of Raskot Municipality.

The compensation amount for the land connected by rural roads in the municipality has been fixed at Rs3,600 to Rs5,700 per square feet, he said.

But the price near the Karnali corridor has been fixed at Rs1,800 per sq ft while a sq ft of land far off the road fetches only Rs1,300, Baral said.

“The compensation is not fair and locals are unhappy,” Baral said.

As the project is big, a mega one in the district, the municipality has been facilitating its procedure.

The compensation fixing committee has unjustifiably determined the compensation rate of Jiulo, Pacha Jharana-1, said Dhaniram Neupane, a local. “How can the land near Karnali corridor cost less than that near the village?” he questioned.

“This is irrational,” Neupane said.

“All the locals are in favour of building the project but the compensation distribution process should be transparent.”

Though some residents have received the compensation, they have demanded a review.

The price of land in Ghatpari, where squatters used to plant paddy, is too low, Neupane said. The farmers are demanding fair compensation for the land they have been tilling for years.

Neupane said there is no fixed compensation for houses and plants. “We are ready to leave the area where our ancestors lived. The government, however, should be able to provide reasonable compensation,” he said.

Rameshwor Devkota of Sani Triveni-3 said that the compensation amount for a concrete house and land in Shanti Ghat Bazar is unjustifiable too.

He said he would knock on the High Court’s door if he did not get fair compensation for his land.

Bhadra Bahadur Bam, another local, said there is no difference in the price of land in Shanti Ghat Bazar and other places. The project needs to provide satisfy the locals.

Led by Bam, an ad-hoc struggling committee has been formed to exert pressure on the local authority. The committee has submitted a memorandum to the district administration office demanding fair compensation for their properties.

The Phuket Karnali project is expected to change the face of Kalikot district as it could generate jobs and other income-generating activities in the underdeveloped region.

The project, obviously, will change the face of the district but it should not make locals unhappy from the outset, said Prem Raj Baral, a local leader.

The land compensation issue is not new.

Three years ago, people in the Raskot area disagreed on the amount and submitted a memorandum to the district administrative office requesting a review of the rate.

“But there has been no response so far,” Baral said.

The project plans to produce electricity by diverting the Karnali river's water through a tunnel in San Triveni-3 of Kalikot.

A powerhouse will be built in Bhaurekunaat on the border of Naraharinath, said Saroj Adhikari, the assistant chief district officer.

The proposed headworks of the project are about 1.5 km downstream of the confluence of Karnali and Sanigad rivers. The project reservoir will stretch 11 km along the river from the dam to the Lapha Bagar.

The project catchment's headwater originates from the Tibetan Plateau and then drains through Western Nepal into the Ganges river system in India. The catchment area is 16,902 square kilometres.

“There is some dissatisfaction among the locals but we are doing our best to resolve them,” Adhikari said.

According to him, most of the locals have taken the compensation amount fixed by the committee.

The national pride project is estimated to cost Rs100 billion.

The compensation distribution process has reached its final stage.

The district administration has been distributing compensation to land owners affected by the project in different phases since 2019.

Adhikari said the compensation distribution work will be completed by this fiscal year ending mid-July.

Phukot hydropower project has settled the compensation amount of Rs500 million, out of the estimated Rs550 million for 1,020 ropanies from Sisnegadha dam to Bhurabagar, said Dammar Uprety, chief of the Phukot Karnali hydropower project.

For the compensation of the housing area, Rs30 million has been distributed, out of the allocated Rs130 million.

The district administration office is engaged in the compensation distribution work and if there is any discontent, it will be resolved through discussion among the locals in the impacted areas, said Uprety.