PM inaugurates Budhigandaki Project’s field office in Gorkha; Budhigandaki project begins soon: PM Prachanda

Gorkha / July 19: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ inaugurated a field office of the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project amid a programme here today. Budhigandaki Hydropower Project is a ‘national pride’ project.

The Prime Minister unveiled a copper plaque to formally inaugurate the office.

Prior to this, the Prime Minister took an aerial view of the areas in Gorkha and Dhading vulnerable to inundation due to the project construction.

He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet, former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, federal parliamentarians from Dhading and Gorkha, chiefs and chief ministers of Gandaki and Bagmati provinces, the government chief secretary, the energy secretary and the managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

The government has already established the Budhigandaki Hydroelectricity Company with an authorised capital of Rs 60 billion to undertake the 1200-MW Project of national pride.

Similarly, the government has distributed compensation amounting to Rs 34.3 billion for land acquisition related to the Project. The distribution process is in its final phase of completion. Around 50,000 people in Dhading and Gorkha districts will be affected by the project.

The detailed project report for the Budhigandaki Project was prepared by France-based Tractebel Engineering in 2014. The proposed dam will be 263 meters high.

As the government said, the Project will be developed through the mobilization of internal resources.

The NEA has a larger chunk of share in the Project, according to Company Chief Jagat Shrestha.

Budhigandaki project begins soon: PM Prachanda

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has announced that the Budhigandaki hydropower project would begin soon. The project would be advanced as the national pride project, according to him.

PM Prachanda made such announcement while inaugurating the field office of the project with the capacity of 1,200-mw. “Foundation stone will be laid to the project within few days. There won’t be any delay on its construction,” he stressed, adding that there was no dilemma to this regard.

The PM further shared that government reached the conclusion after intense discussions with energy to finance ministries and other stakeholders. “We’re resolved to move ahead the project now,” he committed.

As the project is reservoir-based, it is costly. But with its multi-dimensional impacts, it would be beneficial to larger public, thereby contributing to the national economy. The government is making necessary homework for the investment required for the project, according to PM Prachanda.

“This is a ‘ready to go’ project. We are preparing to take forward the project as early as possible. We can’t afford to dillydally the work in any pretext,” he said.

The PM on the occasion instructed the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Nepal Electricity Authority, Budhigandaki Company Limited among other concerned ones to expedite the project.

The Head of the Government expressed his confidence that this project would be a milestone for development of energy sector in the country. He believed that the mega project will impact positively on different dimensions of developments including tourism and job creations.

So far, Rs 43 billion has been distributed as compensation to those whose lands were acquired for the project, it was shared. Among them, over Rs 34 billion was compensated under the acquirement of house while over Rs 6 billion under the plants.

Addressing the programme, former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai said it was necessary to form an authority in order to forward the project in the concept of broader development.

Similarly, members of the House of Representatives—Rajendra Pandey, Ramnath Adhikari and Buddhiman Tamang- said they were for speedy construction of the project.

A target has been set to generate electricity by constructing a 263-meter high dam in the Budhigandaki River- around two kilometers west from Prithvi Highway at Malekhu. A pond 16 times bigger than the Fewa Lake would be created for it.

Chief Executive Officer of the Budhigandaki Hydropower Company, Jagat Shrestha, said there would be development of fisheries and eco-tourism as well as different sorts of employment for the locals.

The government had last year decided to establish company for the construction of the project. The process for the construction activities could not move ahead for long- all because of indecision- whether to construct it at own investment or at foreign investment.

The government had established the Budhigandaki Hydroelectricity Company with an authorised capital of Rs 60 billion to undertake the 1200-mw project of national pride. RSS