By Purushottam P. Khatri

Kathmandu, Dec. 18: Land price in and around the Kathmandu-Terai/Madhes Fast Track Project has skyrocketed in the southern lower belt of Makwanpur and Bara districts after the project works starting taking a shape.
Uddhav Prasad Dhungana, 63, a permanent resident at Atharabigaha village of Bakaiya Rural Municipality-7 in Makwanpur district, got Rs. 2 million in compensation from the government after his 14 kattaha land areas was pooled some four years ago for the project.
Dhungana, who had migrated to Bakaiya village in Makwanpur from Dhulikhel of Kavre district in 1983 by selling the land in Kavre, had had bought 14 kattha land at Rs. 1,000 per kattha.
“As soon as the fast track project issue began floating in the district, at the initial period, we along with around 22 other households in the village were really in doubt whether we will get reasonable compensation for their land, which was to be pooled by the government,” Dhungana who was at the project site during a field visit of the project last week, told this reporter.
According to him, the government had provided compensation of Rs. 142,857 per kattha and additional Rs. 360,000 for demolishing his three-storey concrete house. He had poultry farm and a cow shed at his home and his earning from the business was good.
Today, his two sons, who had left the job in Nepal Army seven years ago, are now working as security police in Dubai.
Receiving the compensation, Dhungana had again purchased three kattha land at the same place at Rs. 700,000 per kattha. He said that he had to manage additional Rs. 100,000 to purchase three kattha land there.
“Every week several land entrepreneurs are visiting the village to see the land and offer a good price for the land, but we are not in a mood to sell our land,” Dhungana said.
Specially, land purchasers were coming to the village from Birgunj and Kathmandu, he said.
“Land purchasers are forcing us to sell our land at Rs. 2 million per kattha, but I am not coming under their influence,” Dhungana said.
“Whatever today is happening in the village was all due to the Fast Track Project, and I am thankful to the project although I had to loose many of my land area and now limited only in three kattha land area,” he said. “I am satisfied with the project as the land value in the village is increasing every month and year,” Dhungana said.
According to him, all the villagers have received equal valuation of their land after the government pooled the land of the district for the project.
According to another local, Harshaman Tamang of Pharsidole in Lalitpur, the land price in Lalitpur area which is 2.7 km away from Bungamati area, was also increasing. Land price in Pharsidole area was increasing by four to five times of the present value of Rs. 1.2 million and Rs. 1.5 million.