Biratnagar, April 11 -- West Railway project, initiated in 2020 during the premiership of KP Sharma Oli, promised to revolutionise transport infrastructure across the southeastern part of the country. However, nearly five years later, thousands of affected residents in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari district are still awaiting compensation for the land that the government acquired for the railway project. Their land is stuck in limbo-leaving them in hardship and uncertainty.

The 120-kilometre stretch between Kakadbhitta in Jhapa and Inaruwa of Sunsari requires the acquisition of around 760 bigha (around 515 hectares) of land across approximately 5,400 land plots. As the land has been officially marked for the railway project, the landowners h...