CEMSOJ joins organizations and individuals worldwide in the following public statement issued to the concerned authorities of Nepal and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Nepal: Stop State brutality against the Tamang Indigenous Peoples and Locals

Stop the construction of Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 220/400 kV Transmission Line Project in Shankharapur-3, Kathmandu

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, strongly condemn the ongoing repression by Nepal’s police and armed police forces on the indigenous Tamang and other locals in Bojheni village, Shankharapur municipality Ward no. 3 in the northeast of Kathmandu for the construction of Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 200/400 kV Transmission Line and its substation.

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3 November 2021, Kathmandu

Indigenous Tamang and other locals of Shankharapur municipality in the northeast of Kathmandu affected by the Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 200/400 kV Transmission Line and its Bojheni substation today submitted a memorandum to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Nepal Resident Mission. They have called for realignment of the Transmission Line and shifting of the sub-station from their settlement area as planned under the ADB-financed Electricity Transmission Expansion and Supply Improvement Project.

In the memorandum emailed to the ADB with signatures of more than 200 affected locals, the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project Victims’ Struggle Society has alleged that they have not been adequately informed about the impacts of the Transmission Line and the sub-station and the land acquisition has been undertaken through intimidation of the landowners. The construction of the Transmission Line and its sub-station has been halted for the last two years due to the opposition of the locals. They allege that the Project is seeking to construct the Bojheni substation in an unauthorized manner without agreement of the locals. Further, the Transmission Line running over their houses, lands and religious and cultural sites will devaluate their properties, significantly affect their livelihoods dependent on agriculture and tourism as well as the environment and even cause insecurity to their health and lives, which will eventually displace them from their ancestral lands and settlement.

more “Tamakoshi-Kathmandu Transmission Line affected communities call on the Asian Development Bank to realign the power line and relocate its sub-station” …

३ नोवेम्बेर २०२१ (वि. सं. २०७८ कार्तिक १७), काठमाडौँ

तामाकोशी–काठमाडौं २००/४०० के.भी. प्रसारण लाइन र त्यसको बोझेनी सवस्टेशनबाट पिडित काठमाडौंको उत्तरपूर्वस्थित शंखारापुर नगरपालिकाका आदिवासी तामांग र अन्य स्थानीयहरुले एसियाली विकास बैंक (एडीबी) को नेपाल आवासीय मिसनलाई आज ज्ञापनपत्र बुझाएका छन्। उनीहरुले एडीबीको सहयोगमा कार्यन्वयन भइरहेको Electricity Transmission Expansion and Supply Improvement Project अन्तर्गतको  प्रसारण लाइन र त्यसको सवस्टेसन उनीहरुको बस्ती क्षेत्रबाट स्थानान्तरण गरी अन्तै सार्नको लागि आह्वान गरेका छन्।

२०० भन्दा बढी पिडित स्थानियहरुको हस्ताक्षर सहित एडीबीलाई ईमेल मार्फत बुझाइएको ज्ञापनपत्रमा अप्पर तामाकोसी जलविद्युत् परियोजना पिडित संघर्ष समाजले प्रसारण लाइन र सब स्टेशनको प्रभावबारे पर्याप्त जानकारी नगराएको र जग्गाधनीहरुलाई डर धम्की देखाई जग्गा अधिग्रहण गरिएको भनिएको छ। स्थानीयहरुको विरोधका कारण विगत दुई वर्षदेखि प्रसारण लाइन र सबस्टेसन निर्माणको काम रोकिएको छ। आयोजनाले स्थानीयको सहमतिविना अनधिकृत रुपमा बोझेनी सबस्टेसन निर्माण गर्न खोजेको उनीहरुको आरोप छ। यसबाहेक, उनीहरूको घर, जग्गा र धार्मिक तथा सांस्कृतिक स्थलहरू माथिबाट तानिने प्रसारण लाइनले उनीहरुको सम्पत्तिको अवमूल्यन हुने, कृषि र पर्यटनमा आश्रित उनीहरूको जीविकोपार्जन तथा वातावरणमा ठूलो असर पर्ने र उनीहरूको स्वास्थ्य र जीवनमा असुरक्षासमेत निम्त्याउने ज्ञापनपत्रमा भनिएको छ। फलस्वरूप, पिडित आदिवासी र स्थानीय समुदाय आफ्नो पुर्ख्यौली जग्गा जमिन र बासस्थानबाट विस्थापित गर्ने ज्ञापनपत्रमा उल्लेख छ।

more “तामाकोशी-काठमाडौं प्रसारण लाइन पिडित समुदायद्वारा प्रसारण लाइन र त्यसको सबस्टेशन स्थानान्तरण गर्न माग गर्दै एसियाली विकास बैंकलाई ज्ञापनपत्र बुझाइयो “ …