GORKHA: The work of data collection in and around potential area to be covered by the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project has begun since yesterday.

The 1, 200 MW hydropower project is likely to affect places in Gorkha and Dhading districts.

Around 30,000 ropani land would be inundated at Gandaki rural municipality, Shahidlakhan rural municipality, Arughat rural municipality and Bhimsen Thapa rural municipality in Gandaki once the project comes into being.

The project’s Resettlement and Rehabilitation Unit has initiated gathering data related to house, sheds, physical structures, fruit plants and other trees situated in inundation-affected areas in Gorkha and Dhading districts from Wednesday.

Krishna Karki, chief of Project’s Resettlement and Rehabilitation Unit Siurenitar Office, shared that technicians of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Building Division Office and Forest Office here have been mobilized for gathering data.

“Data collection has started at Ghyalchowk Baseri of Gandaki rural municipality in Gorkha and Salang in Dhading from Wednesday”, he informed. The technical human resource has been mobilized in a way to complete data collection within two months, he further said.

“An arrangement has been made so that the enumerators can collect data in the inundated areas through mobile apps”, office chief Karki shared.

The project has the target to complete the distribution of land compensation within coming mid-April and compensation related to house, sheds and fruit plants within mid-July.