August 21, Kathmandu- Locals in Bardibas have started agitation saying that the compensation for the land withheld by the Railway Department for seven years is not in line with the market and current prices.

In protest this morning, landowners in Bardibas have displayed black flags and planted flags on their lands. Dak Raj Pokharel of Bardibas-14 informed that the agitation was carried out by displaying a black flag against the fixed compensation.

The Compensation Determination Committee had fixed the rate of compensation for 59 bighas of land in Bardibas area, which will be a common station of Jayanagar-Janakpur-Bardibas Railway and East-West Railway. The Compensation Determination Committee has also issued a public notice on Friday to distribute the compensation according to the rate.

The committee has decided to give a minimum of 700,000 katthas and a maximum of 81 lakh katthas of land from Ratu Khola in the east to Bhapsi Khola in the west. But the landowners have been saying that the land cannot be given the prescribed compensation.

Raju Khadka, the coordinator of the Compensation Victims' Struggle Committee, said that the landowners should get a minimum of Rs 2 million and a maximum of Rs 12 million even if they do not get the current price.

Meanwhile, the Chief of the Compensation Determination Committee and Chief District Officer of Mahottari, Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, said that the distribution of compensation would start within a month. He said that the distribution of compensation will start from the first week of September as the process of distribution of compensation has been expedited by issuing a 15-day public notice.