Govt moves to clear hurdles for 12 under-construction transmission lines

Kathmandu: The government has expedited necessary work for 12 under-construction transmission lines, aiming to complete the installation by the end of the current fiscal year.

In this regard, Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, on Thursday, called on the chiefs of 12 transmission line projects on Thursday to review their construction status and the challenges being encountered. According to Anshu Kiran Shahi, a member of the Nepal Electricity Authority's Board of Directors, the heads of all 12 projects have been summoned to the ministry to provide updates details of the work that needs to be carried out immediately for under construction projects.

Of the 12 projects, chiefs of Tumlingtar–Sitalpati (220 kV), Dhalkebar–Banganga (132 kV), Kohalpur–Surkhet–Dailekh (132 kV), Nepalgunj–Nanpara (132 kV), Lalbandi–Salimpur (132 kV), Inaruwa–Biratnagar (132 kV), Hetauda–Dhalkebar (400 kV), and Kaligandaki–Ridi (132 kV) were reported to be present in the discussion with Energy Minister Shrestha.

The project chiefs mainly pointed out challenges such as obstacles from the Department of Forests related to cutting down trees for clearance of project sites and insufficient time allowed by the Department of Roads for relocating poles and towers. They also noted that construction work has begun to gain momentum after the ministry coordinated with the related agencies to resolve these issues.