Khotang, March 16

Finally following pressure from locals, authorities in Khotang have decided to recommend to the concerned ministry for compensation to the concerned land owners affected by the road expansion drive on Khotang’s Diktel-Chakhewa road section of the mid-hills highway.

According to Chief District Officer Rudra Prasad Khadka, the decision was taken by an all party meeting held at his office today.

“As the land owners had been disrupting road construction work ever since black-topping started over the compensation issue, we had to take the decision, as per which we’ll ask the Ministry for Physical Planning and Management to provide due compensation to the affected ones,” he said.

The meeting has also urged land owners not to disturb the road construction drive. As the highway is a project of national glory, we expect cooperation from all sides, Khadka said.

Earlier, the concerned landowners on the Diktel-Chakhewa road section had started the protest after the road department told them to cede 31 metres from the centre of the road on both sides for the road.

Further, the lot was irked as the road project wanted to move ahead with construction without providing them compensation, while the land owners affected on the Diktel-Jayaramghat road stretch of the highway got duly compensated for the land they had to cede to the road.

A total of 47 kilometres of the mid-hill highway falls in Khotang.