Fast track dispute : Khokana locals clash with police to cultivate ‘govt-acquired’ fields

29 June, Kathmandu : Locals of Khokana on the southern outskirts of Kathmandu Valley have clashed with police personnel in their efforts to plant rice in their fields.

The law enforcers tried to stop the locals from cultivating the land claiming the government already acquired it to construct the Kathmandu-Tarai fast track. However, the locals have refused any compensation for the land arguing the project would displace them from their field.

Krishna Dangol, a local farmer, says the government has mobilised around two dozen police personnel for stopping the farmers from working in the fields.

On Monday morning, on the day of the National Rice Plantation Day, the farmers came out to the fields with farming tools and equipment, but the police tried to snatch them away. The locals collectively resisted and continued their works.