Residents of ward 14 of Bardibas Municipality, Mahottari, have been hugely affected as they have yet to receive compensation for their land acquired by the Department of Railways. The authorities concerned have not provided compensation for about one bigha [0.68 hectares] of land which was taken for the construction of a railway station and track, even though the land compensation fixation committee finalised the compensation rate a year ago.

The delay has affected as many as 14 families. Some of them have been displaced and they are now taking shelter elsewhere. “My house has become uninhabitable due to construction work for the Jayanagar-Janakpur-Bardibas and East-West Electric Railway. The land surface has been raised to make a railway track and this inundated the area in the rainy season. Also, the government has frozen land transactions here for the past seven years, but has not provided compensation,” complained Ambika Devi Adhikari.

According to Adhikari, she has been staying at her daughter’s house since her own house became uninhabitable. “We have neither houses nor any compensation for the properties taken by the government,” she lamented. “I don’t want to leave the place where I have lived since my childhood. The house is in a dilapidated condition and the railway project has banned new housing construction in the area. We are suffering a lot,” she added.

The railway construction has been ongoing in the area for a year. Balkumari Hamal, 70, said living in her house has become impossible because the mud poured on the track is blown into her house by the wind. She said that the mud has caused difficulties in eating, and washing and drying clothes. She said that since she has not received compensation for the land, she has nowhere to go.

The government did allocate funds to pay compensation for the land acquired for the railway construction. However, the department refused to issue compensation to the 14 families as they do not have land ownership certificates.

According to Bijaya Mahato, chairman of ward 14 of Bardibas Municipality, the Department of Railways did not provide compensation to 14 families stating that the families had been living on public land.

“Our three generations have lived here. But when it came time to receive compensation for the land, we discovered that our land wasn’t registered,” said Yama Bahadur Shahi, a local. “We can only leave the settlement if the government provides compensation similar to what was paid to those with land ownership certificates. The government should not make its citizens homeless,” said Shahi, expressing hope to receive compensation.

Local residents complained that it is quite difficult to live in the area due to dust during the dry season and inundation during the monsoon. “We suffer a lot due to the dust. Mainly the children and elderly people are the hardest hit. But we have nowhere else to go,” said Anita Hamal, another local resident.

According to Mahato, the ward office has already written to the authorities concerned to provide compensation to the families, stating that three generations have lived on the land. He added that the ward and the municipality have done everything possible to ensure these families receive compensation at the same rate as those with land ownership certificates.

The construction work of the railway has been halted over the past several days due to protests by the affected families. The agitating locals warned that they would continue protesting until the government authorities provide compensation.

The District Administration Office in Mahottari said that the case file concerning the affected families has been forwarded to the Department of Railways for a review. “The department has not made any decision yet. Once the central authorities finalise the decision, the district administration will ensure that the families receive compensation,” said Chief District Officer Lalbabu Kawari.