Land acquisition costs likely to exceed Rs 2b
KATHMANDU, APR 10 -
Total land acquisition costs for the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track are likely to exceed Rs 2 billion by the time the much-touted highway is completed. The government has acquired nearly 90 percent of the land required for the project, and has paid more than Rs 1 billion to landowners in Makwanpur and Kathmandu.
Officials at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) said the ministry would have to spend another Rs 1 billion to obtain the rest of the land which is pricier. The government is yet to acquire land for a 6 km stretch in Lalitpur besides disputed and non-registered land occupied by squatters in Kathmandu and Makwanpur.
The proposed expressway will cut travel time between Kathmandu and Nijgadh, Bara by replacing the present circuitous route. The project has not been able to get off the ground due to land acquisition problems and lack of investment.
The ministry has so far spent around Rs 450 million to obtain 87 bighas of land in Makwanpur. Land acquisition tasks have been completed in Thingan, Gadhi, Chhatiwon, Dhyal and Sisneri villages of Makwanpur. The project spent Rs 1.6 million per ropani to buy around 708 ropanis of land in Sisneri, the highest price paid in Makwanpur.
Similarly, the government has spent around Rs 450 million on land in the Kathmandu sector. Ministry officials said the project had bought most of the required land in Sokhel, Dakshinkali and Chhaimale village development committees.
The ministry has paid Rs 130 million for 387 ropanis of land in Lalitpur. Officials said that land for the remaining 6-km stretch would cost nearly Rs 1 billion as it’s the most expensive piece of real estate on the proposed route.
“Land prices in places like Khokana and Dhukuchap are far higher than what we have paid so far. We will need nearly Rs 1 billion to buy 590 ropanis of land,” said Ramesh Thapa, a ministry official.
According to the Thapa, the remaining land will be acquired within a few months. He said that the ministry was preparing to buy the land in Lalitpur and some scattered plots in Makwanpur and Kathmandu. The government has started the legal process to buy some 298 ropanis of state-owned land occupied by squatters in Makwanpur and a few ropanis of disputed land in other areas.
Ministry sources said that the government had been paying more for land acquisition due to the unscientific evaluation done by the local authorities and the high prices demanded by landowners. “For instance, landowners in Chhaimale had initially demanded Rs 2-3 lakh per anna, but we finally settled on Rs 1.8 million per ropani. The price is still high,” said a ministry official. Secretary Tulsi Sitaula said the government had been forced to pay more for land at almost all the project sites due to an unscientific monitoring mechanism.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
