Kathmandu, October 5

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development today asked the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and all 12 sub-metropolitan cities and the concerned municipalities to submit progress report on the installation of solar lights in their responsibility areas within three days.

Municipality Planning and Management Section of the ministry issued the directive to the local bodies to ensure that KMC, sub-metropolitan cities and municipalities light up some of the designated streets within Dashain.

The local bodies have been told to mention the number of solar lights to be installed and the progress made so far with expected date for completion of work. The MoFALD had received proposals from 96 municipalities, including KMC, to instal over 44,000 solar-powered street lights.

It will cost around Rs 3.38 billion to install solar lights and the municipalities had sought a grant amount of approximately Rs 2.15 billion from the government for the purpose.

The MoFALD has already allocated a grant amount of Rs 1 billion to 96 municipalities for the upcoming fiscal 2016/17 in order to implement the ‘Public Participation Based Solar Street Light Programme’.

The amount will be spent on installation of solar-powered street lamps in the designated municipal areas.

Of them, Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan city are to get 7,369 and 2,082 solar lights respectively. Major municipal areas, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Damak, Biratnagar, Birgunj and Dharan have been entitled to more solar lights on the basis of urbanisation and population.

The programme is aimed at illuminating urban and rural settlements with solar-powered lights and saving consumption of electricity to reduce the burden of load-shedding. It is expected to save at least six megawatts of electricity.

The government, local bodies and consumers will bear 60, 25, and 15 per cent of total cost in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City respectively. In other places, the government will make an investment of 65 per cent while local bodies would bear 20 per cent and consumers 15 per cent.

The government, local bodies, and consumers will bear 70, 20 and 10 per cent of total cost respectively in highly-deprived settlements.