Nepali Congress Humla District Vice-President, 46-year-old Basant Rokaya, has been accused by bulldozer owner Arjun Mahtara of damaging the bulldozer that was used for excavating the Simkot-Kharnapunath road under the Karnali Corridor project.
During the construction of the Simkot-Kharnapunath road section under the Karnali Corridor on 15 december, Vice-President Rokaya accused the construction team of encroaching on his land and, in response, damaged the bulldozer used for the roadwork. Bulldozer owner Mahtara stated that the damage caused amounted to approximately 12 lakh rupees. Mahtara further explained that when only about 500 meters of the road remained to be excavated, Vice-President Rokaya had thrown stones at the bulldozer, causing the damage.
There had been a dispute because Vice-President Rokaya’s land lies below the turning point of the road, below Mansarovar School. Rokaya had consistently stated that his land should not be encroached upon during the road construction. He also opposed the construction during the preparation of the DPR, claiming that it was designed in a way that would encroach upon his land.
At that time, Vice-President Rokaya threw stones, claiming that the bulldozer had excavated part of his land. After throwing the stones at the bulldozer, he was stopped by plain clothes police officers. Inspector Saroj Kadel of the District Police Office stated that a verbal complaint had been filed at the District Police Office on 15 December and that further investigation is underway.
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