Gorkha, July 15 -- Bishnu Bahadur Shrestha of Arutar in ward 9 of Arughat Rural Municipality, Gorkha, has lived in uncertainty as his 15 ropani (0.76 hectares) of ancestral land has been frozen over the past seven years. The federal government in 2019 ordered to freeze around 300 ropani (15.26 hectares) of land in the Arutar area of ward 9 and the Chanaute area of ward 10.

"I have seven ropani of land in Arutar and eight ropani in Chanaute, all restricted due to the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project. I can't sell my land, nor use it as collateral for loans to pay for my children's education or medical treatment," Bishnu lamented.

Not only Shrestha but also many locals complain that they are hardest hit by the government's decision. "One o...