SYANGJA: Syangja boasts of the country’s largest hydropower project under operation and another small power project, but district dwellers have been living in darkness in the face of continuing load-shedding.

Power generated from the Kali Gandaki River is not distributed in the district. The 144-MW Kali Gandaki ‘A’ Hydropower Project feeds the national grid. So much so, that the project even consumes some amount of electricity generated by the Aandhikhola Hydropower Project.

Syangja produces a huge amount of electricity but it has to face power outage, said Yam Bahadur Gurung, Chairman of Waling Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Locals are demanding Syangja be declared a load-shedding free district. Electricity generated here should go to meeting the local demand, Gurung said. According to Dol Prasad Kharel, chief of Aandhikhola Hydropower Project, the demand for electricity in Syangja is 8.5 MW while the supply is only 5.1 MW.