Key Takeaways:

• Rs 300m deposited by municipality in May 2024; NEA to add Rs 75m
• Project covered wards 17, 18, 19, 20 and 24, but transformers remain uninstalled
• Farmers forced to use costly diesel pumps, sparking frustration and financial strain
• NEA cites procurement delays; pledges transformers will arrive within 20 days

BARA, JULY 30 Delays by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) have left an agricultural electrification project in Jeetpursimara Sub-Metropolitan City in Bara stalled for the past three years, preventing thousands of bighas of farmland from accessing electricity for irrigation, local officials said. Mayor Rajan Paudel said the sub-metropolitan city had entrusted the NEA with completing agricultural electrification in wards 17, 18, 19, 20 and 24 within a year. Under the agreement, the municipality deposited Rs 300 million, equivalent to 80 percent of the project's estimated cost, into the account of the NEA's Kalaiya Distribution Centre in May 2024. The remaining Rs 75 million was to be contributed by the NEA. The Rs 375 million project included installation of electricity poles, transmission lines and transformers to support irrigation. While poles and lines have been expanded, the NEA has yet to install the required transformers, leaving the project incomplete. As a result, farmers remain unable to use electricity for irrigation and other agricultural activities. Local authorities say the delay has prevented effective utilisation of public investment and fuelled frustration among farmers. The municipality has written to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, urging it to intervene and ensure the project's immediate completion to support agricultural production and maximise the return on state investment. Ward 18 Chairperson Chatur Babu Wagle accused the NEA of holding municipal funds while leaving the electrification project unfinished. He said repeated written requests had failed to produce results, forcing farmers to rely on costly diesel-powered pumps for irrigation despite the power infrastructure already being in place. NEA Kalaiya Distribution Centre Chief Hardev Prasad Gupta acknowledged that the installation of 13 transformers remains pending. He said the distribution centre had already informed higher authorities in writing and verbally and would be able to supply electricity within a week of receiving the transformers from the provincial office. Meanwhile, Shambhu Kusiyait Yadav, chief of the NEA's Janakpur Regional Office, said delays were caused by a contractor after the initial procurement process was cancelled. A new process is underway, with six transformers to be dispatched immediately and the remaining seven within 20 days.