NEA team effortful in removing obstacle in Kaligandaki corridor transmission line project

A high-level team of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has taken initiatives for removing hurdles created at Phalebas of Parbat in the construction of the Kaligandaki Corridor 220 kV Transmission Line Project. The locals have been obstructing the construction of the transmission line for the last three years calling for re-aligning the route of the transmission line, citing the extension of the transmission line in its existing route would damage a school and stadium at Devisthan.

Construction of four towers of the transmission line at Phalebas has been halted due to the obstruction posed by the locals. A high-level team comprising NEA executive director Kulman Ghising, the Project Management Directorate’s deputy executive director Tara Prasad Pradhan and Project Chief Chandan Ghosh has made an on-site visit at Devisthan, Phalebas-6 where the obstruction has occurred. Parbat District Coordination Committee chief Bishnuram BK, Phalebas Municipality mayor Gangadhar Tiwari, deputy mayor Shova Kumari Chhetri, Chief District Officer Chitrangat Baral, former mayor Padampani Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhusudan Neupane and Phalebas Municipality Ward no 6 chairman Nabin Shrestha also joined the NEA team during the on-site inspection.

The team held discussions with the locals after making an on-site visit of the construction site. It appealed to the locals not to create obstructions in the construction of the transmission line as it is important for transmission of power generated from the hydroelectricity projects to be constructed in the Kaligandaki and its tributaries. The team urged the local people to extend cooperation in the construction of the transmission line, saying that the electricity generated from the project could not be transmitted particularly during the monsoon season due to the absence of a transmission line for the same and this has caused a big loss to the country.

NEA executive director Ghising said an agreement has been reached under which a technical team will carry out a survey within four or five days to check whether it is feasible to relocate the transmission line towers. “The locals had said the school lies on the right of way of the transmission line, but we found in course of the on-site inspection that that is not the case,” Ghising said. Under the project, the 39.6 kilometres first section of the transmission line from Dana of Annapurna Rural Municipality-3, Myagdi district to Khurkot, Kushma Municipality-2 of Parbat district has already been constructed and it is currently in operation. A 220/132 kV sub-station has been constructed at Khurkot and a 220/132/33 kV sub-station at Dana.

The construction of 88 kilometres transmission line from Kushma to the new Butwal sub-station at Bhumahi, Sunawal Municipality-13, Nawalparasi under the second section of the corridor is in the last stage of completion. It is said that out of the 235 towers in this section, construction of only four remains at Phalebas. Project chief Ghosh said that works are being carried out with the target of completing the transmission line construction within mid-July this year.