Kalaiya-Matiarba road project faces land acquisition row

BARA, June 29 : Land acquisition row has caused obstruction in the Manmat-Kaliya-Matiarba road project. The project being implemented under the auspices of the government of India was stalled after the local landowners, whose lands have been acquisitioned staged protests against demolition of the houses along the right of way. [break]



Nevertheless, District Administration Office has informed that Rs 63 million was already paid to acquire the land falling in the right of the way.



The government of India has provided Rs 237.1 million as grant to construct the 27 km road that links Manmat in Bara with the Indian border.



Nabonath Jha, the chief of the road project, informed that contractors had started the construction in March, 2011 with the aim to complete the project in 26 months. However, after the project faced obstruction from locals, the project has remained uncertain.



Only four months remain for the project completion deadline and just 20 percent work is complete, according to the contractors.



The house owners in Kalaiya Municipality have been demanding that the right of way be reduced to seven meters from the planned 15 meters for the municipality area, according to Sunil Kushwaha, the chairman of town development struggle committee formed by the locals.

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