Locals have warned of further protests if there is a delay in resolving the problem.
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Locals are angry after houses started cracking due to blasting of under-construction hydropower projects in Jugal and Balefi areas of the district. The affected people have submitted a memorandum to the administration after the damage to various settlements in Jugal Rural Municipality-2, 3, 4 and 5.
Local Mingmar Lama said that houses in settlements including Deepu, Tega, Tembathan and Ward No. 2 of Jugal Rural Municipality-3 have been cracked, collapsed and are at risk of being inhabited. According to him, the damage was caused by indiscriminate blasting during the tunnel digging of the Brahmayani Hydropower Project with a capacity of 45 megawatts under construction with an investment of about 9 billion rupees.
'Our houses have become like ruins, we have to live in danger,' he said, 'There is no body to hear complaints against the project.' More than ten houses here alone have cracked and become dangerous, and it is scary to live in cracked houses, he said. The chairman of the hydropower company, Bharat Parajuli, is an MP from Sindhupalchowk 1 elected from the National Independent Party.
According to locals, houses have been damaged by blasting in the settlements of Lidi, Deepu, Sangiling, Sano Teka, Thulo Teka, Tesyathan, Hemalolma, Gumba Bote, Pangsang, Gumdangaun, Karthike and Sunkhola areas. The affected people have complained that they have not received compensation. The memorandum states that compensation was not paid for using land during road expansion, blasting was done without prior inspection and damage was caused to the settlements. Jugal Rural Municipality Chairman Resham Syangbo said that preparations are being made to conduct an on-site study on the problem.
'The affected people have demanded compensation, risk assessment, safe construction process, employment for locals, road and bridge construction management and landslide control. We are preparing to conduct an on-site study,' he said. The District Administration Office has written to Jugal Rural Municipality requesting it to address the 13-point demands of the locals. A similar problem has also been seen in Jalbire of Balefi Rural Municipality-1. Locals have said that at least 8 houses have been damaged due to the 'blasting' carried out during the construction of a tunnel by the 20-megawatt capacity shared hydropower project under construction on the Brahmayani River. Families have become panicked after the roof and walls cracked.
Locals say that a similar problem has also been seen in some settlements in Chautara Sangachokgadhi-3 and the surrounding areas of Phulpingkot, Dhuskot, Batase, Kharitar and Ranitar. The affected people have demanded compensation and house repairs from the people's representatives and the administration. Earlier, the locals had also staged a protest. Although the project had assured to build an embankment, there are complaints that it has not been implemented. Balefi Rural Municipality Chairman Ganga Bahadur Tamang said that there has been no formal information about this from the project. Locals have warned that they will stage more protests if the problem is delayed.
The trekking route connecting the Himalayas has also been destroyed
Glazen Peak (Phurpa Jyo Jyo Peak), one of the 11 peaks of the Jugal mountain range, at an altitude of 6,151 meters, has been climbed twice. According to the famous Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism, the mountain range area from Ne-Sam Khola in Jugal to Utaka Nimado, Lakyap, Tembathang, Deepu, Tega is also considered a pilgrimage site. Further, the vast forest area and flat plain at the foot of Jugal, Ne-Pemasal, means the heaven of the gods. The Tongkyup cave and plain here are considered the auspicious place of the famous Vajrayana sect of Buddhism, Vajraguru Padmasambhava (Rimpochhe) and the residence of Chhendang Palden Mam Devi. Apart from these, the source of the Brahmayani River, the cave that can accommodate a thousand people, Jyuthi Gap Kharka, Bumbasherbu, Nekharka, Bumbasherbu, and Shybal Pokhari have their own religious significance and beauty. However, now, the Brahmayani Hydropower Project has been indiscriminately constructing roads, tunnels, and other structures up to Chhendang, destroying the old trekking routes connecting the mountains.
