The deadly Chinese One belt One road(OBOR) will hand over the clean park to the government after being operated by a Chinese company for 30 years
The Chinese project One Belt One Road (OBOR), which came to power during the communist government, is currently ongoing. Under the same project Damak Industrial Clean Park which is located in Province 1 is also under construction.Since the project is spread over 1900 bighas,a large area has to be acquired.Compensation is required for acquisition, but this is not the case here. Therefore the landowners have formed a 'Damak Industrial Park Struggle Committee' to raise voice against improper compensation.
The struggle committee alleged that the land compensation was not scientific and could make the people homeless without timely review.

The protesters warned that they would take revenge for starting the construction work without resolving their problems. The park falls under the jurisdiction of former Prime Minister Oli. This project of making people Sukumbasi for the sake of political interests is no less deadly. Just like how Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and some countries in Africa are in debt to China, so  the probability of Nepal falling into a debt trap is high.

A six-point demand was put forward through a press release. The forum had demanded immediate distribution of compensation to the victims in a scientific manner saying that the victims of the clean park being built on thousands of hectares of plots connected to Gauradaha and Damak municipalities of Jhapa,many locals have not received fair compensation.

An agreement has been reached to hand over the park to the government after the Chinese company operated it for 30 years.

Controversy has escalated over the compensation of industrial parks to be built in Kamal and Gauradaha, in Damak in Jhapa district. Due to the compensation issue, the clean park which is being made with Chinese investment has not been accepted by the locals as none of them have received the compensation.

So far no one was able to send in the perfect solution, which is not strange. The construction of the industrial park is in confusion after the compensation dispute.

The landowners have warned that they will not provide land at the rate recommended by the government committee for the acquisition of land required for the Damak Clean Industrial Park to be constructed at 2,200 bighas in Damak, Kamal and Gauradaha. The landowners have demanded a re-evaluation of the Damak Industrial Area to be built in Jhapa with Chinese investment.
On November 26, the district's compensation assessment committee had fixed the rate for the 411 bighas of land required for the construction of the park. Nine hundred and forty-two bighas of land has already been acquired for the industrial park. This time, the Industrial Area Management Limited was preparing to distribute compensation for 411 bighas, two katthas and 4.25 dhurs of land in Kamal Gaunpalika-7. But they are agitating that they do not understand the amount as per the assessment made by the local government committee.

According to the Land Acquisition Act, under the coordination of the Chief District Officer, the surveyors, including some Land Revenue Officers,the recommendation committee has fixed the rates on the basis of three types of land. The committee has classified it as cultivable, bronze and river digging. Accordingly, Rs 2.2 million has been assessed for cultivable, Rs 800,000 for bronze fishermen and Rs 200,000 for river jumpers. Parshuram Karki, coordinator of the Industrial Area Struggle Committee, said that the land could not be given as per the current assessment. He claims that the valuation is 80 percent lower than the government rate. At present, the land of two lakh prati bigha specified by the committee is government assessment but it costs nearly 7 lakhs per bigha according to government rate and assessment done by Malpot.

Three bighas of land of local Krishna Khadka falls on the construction site of the industrial zone. But he claims that even if it is sold at the current price, it will fetch Rs 1.5 million per kattha. "The government has decided to kill the people," he said. "We are not against development, but the people need justice." Bishwalal Dhimal's farm is in Ratuwa river. He lives in Setumari of Damak 10 after his 1 bigha 9 kattha land in Kamal-6 was cut off by Ratuwa Khola.Earlier, they were displaced by the river, but now the government is inflicting more pain by not giving proper compensation, he said.' Proper compensation should be given. The government has decided to make us homeless though Ratuwa Khola had given them land, 'he complained.' Now the compensation is very low, they have become homeless. ' The struggle committee has said it is unfair that only 2 lakh rupees is being given per bigha when 5 lakh rupees were demanded per kattha.

At present, the place where the industrial zone is supposed to be built has a small amount of arable land along the shell. The Industrial Area Management Limited has set aside Rs. 330 million for the immediate payment of compensation. The landlords have said that they will not accept the compensation less than the valuation of the landlord. Secretary of the struggle committee Karan Singh Basnet has demanded appropriate compensation. "The current assessment has made us victimised again even though the Ratuwa river is already causing us problems . We need settlement in another area in another place ," he said.
He said that the assessment should be done according to the current trends. "We are suffering from the Ratuwa river. We are ready to give up the land if the government makes arrangements for us to live elsewhere or else we will continue to occupy the land." Basnet said.

 

Chairman and General Manager of Industrial Area Management Limited Nanda Kishore Basnet said that the compensation has been decided after conducting an on-site study as per the Land Acquisition Act. He claimed that the decision made by the local evaluation committee was appropriate. The land on the banks of the river, which have never been worth so much, has been made an unnecessary issue, 'said Basnet.' The government will take away the land forcefully if necessary. '

According to Sanjay Thapa of the Damak-based communication office of the company, no landowner has taken the compensation yet. "Some have  come to understand the process of compensation," Thapa said. " But the landlords have not come with tenders for compensation." According to Basnet, chairman of the Industrial Area Management Limited, if they do not understand and accept the compensation within 90 days, the government will take possession of the land according to law. "The government will take over the land lawfully," he said.According to him, even if some brokers try to increase the compensation, the compensation will not increase any further now. Basnet said that the acquisition work has been expedited by giving more compensation than necessary to the river side lands. "The construction of the industrial park will not be stopped under any pretext anymore. We have taken all the steps forward," he said.

Ltd. had published the information on March 29 mentioning 430 lots for the proposed industrial zone. Accordingly, the landowners had submitted an application for compensation. 434.44 million 18 thousand one hundred and twenty five rupees is required to compensate for all these lots.
According to General Manager Basnet, it will be difficult to get 2200 bighas of land as per the commitment. In the first phase, compensation is being prepared for a minimum of three katthas and a maximum of three bighas, 12 katthas and 15 dhurs. "According to the Chinese side, the 2,200 bighas will not be available immediately. We are trying," he said.
After the Chinese government acquires land in the name of Industrial Area Management Limited for an industrial park to be built under the One Belt One Road (OBOR), the Limited will call for the construction of infrastructures. Accordingly, industries including industrial parks will be built in partnership of private and locals.