The construction of the transmission line in Sankhuwasabha and Dhanusha has not been completed due to the dispute over the construction of the 400 kV Arun III hydroelectric transmission line.

Out of the seven districts where the transmission line will be extended, the work has started in six districts after distribution of compensation, but the work could not be started in Sankhuwasabha due to the dispute over the route of the transmission line.

After the work of electricity transmission was interrupted with the public complaints related to transmission lines, the District Coordination Committee has organised a discussion programme with various stakeholders, including representatives of project developers, all political parties in the district, and citizens of the affected areas.

The participants present in the programme expressed their dissatisfaction about the Arun III project.

The dispute started after the citizens of the transmission line construction area complained about the transmission route. Locals complained that they had to be displaced because the route of the transmission line was finalised without prior notice while determining the transmission route within Sankhuwasabha.

Locals said that when the transmission line is constructed from the centre of the village by installing wire from the Pukhuwa Dobhan construction site of the power house, cultivable land is destroyed and the lives of people are at risk.

Chairman of Chichila Rural Municipality Pasang Nurbu Sherpa suggested that the project should build a transmission line from the forest area, which is also a short distance away, instead of at arable land and village.

In some places, it is said that the alliance has been changed since it was determined earlier.

Binod Subba Gurung, Ward Chairman of Khandbari Municipality-4, said that if the transmission line is built from the currently fixed route, tourism in Chyangkuti Danda and Thulo Dhunga will be affected.

Engineer Nabraj Thapa of Sutlej Jalvidyut Nigam informed that even if the transmission line is laid from the village itself according to the currently prepared route, only four houses will be displaced.

Engineer Thapa informed that 59 towers will be installed in Sankhuwasabha and 18.93 km of wire will be extended.

He said that about 80 ropanies of land are required for this.

Engineer Thapa said that the work of transmission line to be built from Chichila Rural Municipality of Sankhuwasabha to Dhalkebar in Mahottari is going on by providing compensation in all districts.

According to our Dhalkebar correspondent, landowners of Dhanusha-based Mithila Municipality have obstructed the construction of the transmission line of Arun II hydropower project.

They stopped the construction work saying that the concerned authority had started construction of the transmission line without prior notice to the landowners.

Nitant Karki of Mithila Municipality-6, Dhalkebar said that the construction work was stopped after they brought a dozer and started digging the foundation without any agreement with the land-owners.

“We do not know whether our land has been acquired or not, we do not know how much compensation we will get. Suddenly a dozer started digging our land,” he informed.

Later on, the people's representatives have been recommending land acquisition by keeping a low evaluation. On that basis, the construction company has come to build the transmission line, he said.

“We are not against development. We are in favour of construction of the tower. However, the agreement of the concerned land owner and proper compensation should be ensured, said Karki, a local resident.

He said that the compensation amount was also low. The project has fixed the compensation at a rate of Rs. 400,000 per kattha of land as monopoly.