Agitating locals from Sunsari, Udayapur and Saptari districts have warned of picketing Koshi Barrage and shutting down its control room on July 5 if the authorities fail to fulfill their demands.

According to the locals, around 7,000 bighas of their lands were submerged at the time of the construction of Koshi Barrage and that they should be given proper compensation by responsible authorities for the loss they suffered.

The affected locals say their demand for compensation is consistent with the Nepal-India Koshi agreement of 1954. As per the agreement, it is India's responsibility to compensate the locals who lost their lands to the deluge that followed the construction of the barrage.
However, the Indian authorities have turned a deaf ear to the victims' plea for compensation.

The affected locals from the three districts have formed Koshi River Inundation Victims Struggle Committee (KRIVSC) to press their demands.

"We have been trying to draw the attention of both Nepalese and Indian authorities to our problems since the last one decade but in vain," said Mahidev Prasad Chauhdary, coordinator of the struggle committee. "Now, we are forced to such a strong step."

The struggle committee submitted a letter to the prime minister last Wednesday to apprise him of their demand and their warning to padlock the control room of Koshi Barrage if their demand is not met by July 5, coordinator Chaudhary informed.

They have also submitted a copy of the letter each to Constituent Assembly chairman, home minister, foreign affairs minister, forest minister, irrigation minister, chairmen of parliamentary committees, CA members, and the heads of various political parties and to the Indian embassy, among others.

Although over a half century has elapsed since Nepal and India signed the Koshi Project Agreement in 1954, the people who suffered losses as a result of the construction have not been compensated till today, according to Kasim Ansari, a member of the struggle committee.

In 2012, after the Indian government sought the details of the damage, a joint meeting held on September 9 of the year of the district administration offices from Saptari and Udayapur determined the compensation and submitted the report to the Indian government.

"But nothing has been done thereafter, making the locals anxious about whether they would ever be compensated as promised," said Ansari.

If the past is any indication, getting compensation from the Indian authority is not going to be easier, according to Nagendra Jha, advisor to the committee.

"All we can do is keep pressing the authority for the compensation," he further said.

Initially, India had decided to provide compensation only for 5,400 bighas of lands as per the treaty. But after a meeting held in Patna of India in 2009, additional 2,226 bighas were included for compensation following the pressure of Koshi victims, according to Jha.

He said the lands that got submerged after the construction of Koshi Barrage belonged mostly to farmers and peasants. "It is sad that they have had to wait for compensation promised to them for the last 60 years.

India had agreed in the 1954 agreement to construct roads, hospitals, schools and supply electricity in the affected areas and create employment opportunities for the locals. But nothing has been done so far, according to locals.

Published on: 1 July 2015 | Republica