September 3: The second phase work of the Bheri-Babai Diversion Multi-purpose Project is gaining momentum.

After the completion of the tunnel construction, the construction of the dam and powerhouse of the national pride project has been expedited. The Chinese company Guangdong and Nepal's Raman Construction JV are speeding up the second phase of construction of the dam site and power house. The project has stated that the construction work of headworks and powerhouse under the second phase is in full swing.

Ishwori Tiwari, information officer and senior divisional engineer of the project informed that the construction of automatic gate, penstock, steel lining, power house, turbine, electrical equipment and substation at Chiple in Bheriganga of Surkhet is ongoing.

However, the distribution of compensation has been delayed as the government has not decided on the amount to be given to the settlers without land ownership certificates. About 32 hectares of land in Bheriganga, Gurbhakot and Lekbensi municipalities will be drowned due to the construction of a dam at Chiple in Bheriganga municipality of Surkhet. So far, the project has distributed compensation to the affected people living in nine hectares of land who have land ownership certificates.

Information Officer Tiwari said that the compensation of up to maximum of Rs 500,000 have been distributed to people with land ownership certificates. According to him, out of the 32 hectares of projected land, people living in almost 23 hectares of land is do not have land ownership certificate.

According to the project office, no procedure has been formulated for the compensation of 22.81 hectares of uncertified land. He said that a file has been submitted to the federal government to determine the amount of compensation by collecting the details of the settlers of uncertified land but no decision has been taken yet.

“We have the money and there’s no problem in distributing it,” he said, “But, the government has not decided how much compensation to pay. We can distribute it once the decision is made by the cabinet.”

According to him, six and a half hectares of uncertified land has been registered in the field book. But the land owners have not yet received certificates.

All the works of the second phase are targeted to be completed by fiscal year 2080 and it is estimated that Rs 6.16 billion will be spent for the project. If the Bheri-Babai diversion multi-purpose project is constructed, the project will provide irrigation facilities to 51,000 hectares of land in Banke and Bardiya every day.

It is estimated that agricultural produce will increase in Banke and Bardiya and Rs 3.1 billion will be earned annually besides Rs 2.1 billion that will be earned directly through electricity generation.

A 14 meter high dam will be constructed in Bheriganga Municipality-5 Chiple of Surkhet and 48 MW electricity will be generated by pouring water from Bheri River into Babai River in Ward No. 11 Hattikhal of the same municipality through a 12 km 210 meter long tunnel.