Kathmandu, June 23:

Electrification will be carried out in four village development committees (VDCs) in Lalitpur district — Gotikhel, Manikhel, Chandanpur and Kaleshwore — in a month.

The electrification will benefit 500 households in these VDCs.

This is part of a programme launched by the South Lalitpur Rural Electrification Cooperatives (SLREC) to light 8,000 households in 19 VDCs in south Lalitpur.

According to Gopal Sangel, president of the SLREC, 1,300 households in 10 VDCs have been lit following the launch of the programme in 2001. “The programme has been expanded with the contribution of the community. Many households in 10 VDCs could not be lit because they could not make resources available for electrification,” he said.

The United States Agency for International Development provided $37,500 in the current fiscal year and $75,000 in the last fiscal to execute the programme, Sangel added.

The SLREC has given up to Rs 6,000 in loans to each of the 100 economically backward families that have not been able to light their homes. The goal of carrying out the electrification in two years could not be accomplished because the Nepal Electricity Authority could not procure equipment necessary for electrification on time, he said. Various entrepreneur development programmes have been launched in the villages after electrification. The Winrock International has provided Rs 2 million for the execution of these programmes.

The major work of installing of a 11-KV main line in all 19 VDCs have been completed. Installation of transmission lines and transformers is expected to take two years.