By Our Correspondent, Gorkha, Feb. 12: Budhigandaki Hydropower Project has distributed more than Rs. 28 billion compensation for the acquisition of private land lying in the project area so far.

From the 1200 MW national pride project, a total of 7,838 households of project area have received Rs. 28.18 billion compensation for their land which would be inundated in the reservoirs of the project.

Krishna Karki, chief of Environment, Compensation Distribution, Resettlement and Reestablishment Unit of the project, said that the project had distributed more than Rs. 14 billion compensation for 23,331 ropanies of land in Gorkha district.

Preparation are underway to provide compensation to additional beneficiary owners of Arughat of Gorkha district, he said. Process is underway in land registration and survey office of Dhading for the distribution of compensation in Dhading district.

Karki said that one individual from Arughat of Gorkha has been the person getting maximum compensation amount worth Rs. 90 million from the project. Some households have also received as minimum as Rs. 500,000 compensation from the project, he added.

He said that the project had yet to distribute compensation of around 10,000 ropanies of private land of around 3000 individuals.

Out of the remaining land to distribute compensation, owners of some land do not possess land certificate despite having their names in field books and some land may be in the name of schools, community forests and government agencies, he said.

A total of 130,000 ropanies of land from Gorkha and Dhading districts will be inundated from the reservoir of the project. Of the total, 58,000 ropanis of land is under private ownership and remaining in the name of the government, Karki said.

All the individual owners of land who had given application would get compensation within the current fiscal year, he said.

However, the compensation rate of houses, sheds, plants and fruits are yet to be finalised. Project is preparing not to deduct depreciation value of such properties considering the benefits of beneficiaries.

The Ministry of Energy has submitted the proposal of distributing the compensation without deducting depreciation to Ministry of Finance, he added.

After the decision of the Finance Minister, we will soon start distributing compensation of houses, sheds and plants also, Karki said.

From the construction of the project a total of 3560 households from both districts would be displaced. For the resettlements of displaced households, some land in Darbung, Namjung, Borlang Dhawa and Aruchanaut have been held.