Kathmandu, January 9

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has said that legitimate demands of locals affected in Bojini of Shankharapur Municipality-3 of Kathmandu during the construction of Lapsiphedi substation will be addressed.

NEA has said that it is unable to retract the decision to construct Lapsiphedi substation as the authority has already provided compensation for acquisition of land, completed all the legal procedures including initial environmental assessment (IEE) and supplemental II and that the selected location is the best among the available options.

Moreover, the authority has stated that the substation cannot be shifted to another location as the bids for the construction of the transmission line and substation are being accepted and the contract is being worked on.

Kulman Ghising, managing director of the authority, said that the authority will address the legitimate demands of the locals in road maintenance and expansion, water supply scheme, school buildings, construction of monasteries, employment for the locals, many more, during the construction of the project.

Ghising requested their support in the construction of the project which is the backbone for power supply to Kathmandu valley and assured that the compensation determination of the land under the right of way of the transmission line will be done with maximum flexibility.

Urging not to politicise the construction of substation, he said, 'We have received reports of activities undertaken with vested political interest of some people and to take unfair advantage at the instigation of national and international non-governmental organisations. Such activities will have a long-term impact not only on this project but on the nation as a whole.'

The NEA has commenced the construction of 400 kV, 220 kV and 132 kV substations in Lapsiphedi for distribution of electricity generated by the hydropower projects constructed on Tamakoshi and Sunkoshi rivers mainly to the Kathmandu valley.

The project has been started with a concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank to make the electricity supply reliable in Kathmandu valley and to expand the transmission network.

The compensation amount was fixed for acquisition of 170 ropanis of land of about 70 landowners for construction of Lapsiphedi substation in January of 2018.

Everyone, except the landowner of one unit, has already received the compensation amount. However, locals have been obstructing the construction since three years demanding that the substation be shifted away from the human settlement.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 10, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.