The struggle committee has announced a protest against the fact that the hydropower companies operating in Kepilasgarhi Rural Municipality have not paid compensation to the land owners.

On Monday, in a press conference in Diktel, the three hydropower companies operating within the rural municipality announced that they will stage further protests if the land owners are not immediately compensated.

Rawa Energy Development Company Limited, Halesi Energy Company Limited and Lower Mead Rawakhola Hydroelectric Project struggle over non-compensation of local landowners  Maitiraj Rai, the coordinator of the committee said. 

"Hydropower company is run for profit, they have cheated the local people without giving compensation," Rai said, "We also informed the local government about the people being cheated, but there has been no hearing so far, so we will protest in stages if the compensation is not paid immediately." Rai says that the struggle committee has been formed to give justice to the victims. 

Rai said that the landowners who did not receive compensation have formed a ward-level struggle committee under the coordination of Rowin Rai. The Sangharsh Committee says that hydropower companies have not followed the instructions given by the Electricity Development Department to proceed with the construction work only by purchasing private lands as per the rules. 

The Sangharsh Committee said that the hydropower company run by Rawa Energy Development Company Limited has not paid compensation even after a long time of generating and selling electricity. Sangharsh Committee said that Halesi Urja Private Limited Company is under construction and the said company has not completed the process. 

Halesi Urja Private Limited Company has occupied 45 private 45 ropani and 384 ropani government land, said the coordinator of Sangharsh Samiti, Rai. Rai also says that even though there is a provision that the hydropower companies operating in the rural municipality must release ten percent of water into the river, they have not released it. 

"When the company operates hydropower in such a way that the river itself dries up, the aquatic life has been destroyed and the environment has also been greatly affected," said Rai. Although Rawa Energy Development Company Limited sold the transmission line to Halesi Urja Private Limited Company for 30 lakhs, there is a complaint that Rawa Energy Development Company Limited did not compensate the landowners in the area where the transmission line was extended.