New land directive puts Mainhiya-Sampatiya transmission line in limbo

The construction of Mainhiya-Sampatiya transmission line between Mainhaiya, Rupandehi, Nepal and Sampatiya, Uttar Pradesh, India has been affected because the land to be acquired and compensated has not been plotted.

Authorities had aimed to complete work on the transmission line by the end of this fiscal year. However, the lack of plotting now threatens to jeopardise that plan, worried Hari Prasad Pandey, chief of the project management work on the 132 KV double circuit line.

“We are supposed to distribute Rs. 400 million in compensation for the land we have acquired but we can only do so after Land Revenue Office officially registers that land in the project’s name,” Pandey informed. “The lack of plotting has hindered that process.”

And the reason behind not plotting is the government’s new directive on land classification. Among other provisions, the directive requires land to be classified as agricultural and non-agricultural and fixes a minimum area below which land cannot be divided and plotted.

There are supposed to be 96 towers on the 28-kilometre transmission line, of which, 90 have been constructed. “However, this directive threatens to stop work on the remaining six towers and install the necessary equipment,” Pandey said.

The entire transmission line project is estimated to cost around US$ 8 million and will be constructed with investment from the Government of Nepal. It is hoped that this line will enable the trade of 200 megawatts of electricity between Nepal and India.

The Rising Nepal