Land acquisition to construct a transmission line for Nepal's largest hydropower project, Arun-III, has been initiated from Dhanusha.

The District Administration Office (DAO), has already started the process to procure five bigha land to construct a sub-station at Dhalkebar and site office for the project.

"We have completed evaluating the properties and will soon start distributing the amount on the basis of it. Distributing the amount for the acquisition of land will start within next week," said Prem Prasad Bhattarai, Chief District Officer, Dhanusha.

India's Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), which is constructing the Arun-III hydro project, has also informed authorities about the construction of transmission line from Dhanusha. It has divided the areas around Dhanusha into five sectors where towers for transmission line will be set up.

The DAO has written to SJVN to provide Rs 25 crores to the family or the owners, whose land will be procured during the construction.

"They already have received our letter and we have got the response that it will be completed by next week. Once, we receive the amount we will start compensating the owners, which would open ways for the construction," said Ganesh Chandra Mishra, administrative officer at DAO Dhanusha.

"Officers at SJVN also has asked us to expedite the process so that it would be easier for them to construct. We are working in that spirit," Mishra added.

For the transmission line that runs through seven districts including the main hydropower site Sankhuwasabha, a total of 35.27 kilometres is covered in Dhanusha alone. As many as 104 towers will be built in Dhanusha.

The SJVN has also asked other districts to start the land procurement for the construction of 400 kVA transmission line, which will have a distance of 217 kilometres. The transmission line will link the powerhouse of Arun-III at Sankhuwasabha's Diding to India-Nepal border at Mahottari.

It will run through, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Khotang, Udaypur, Siraha, Dhanusha and Mahottari of Nepal to Muzaffarpur in Bihar, India. The transmission line will add an additional 200 MW electricity to Nepal's national transmission line from Dhalkebar sub-station, whereas it will transfer the remaining electricity to India, as per the agreement.

The Government of India has approved investment for transmission component of Arun-III Hydro project (Nepal portion) for an estimated cost of Rs 1,236.13 crore.