Ramechhap, September 8

Around 400 households are living in the dark in Manthali Municipality, Ramechhap, for want of power supply.

People’s representatives of the local level had promised electricity supply to these households during the elections. However, the elected representatives have done nothing in this regard even after one-and-a-half years.

Around 400 families of Manthali Municipality’s Wards No 3, 4, 7 and 9 are forced to live in the dark.

Local GangalalGole said 195 families of Kalleri and Salleni in Manthali Municipality were deprived of electricity. “People’s representatives’ failure to keep tall promises made during the elections have forced the locals to live in the dark,” a local lamented. Lack of electricity has hit students the hardest. Students of the area are not able to perform well in exams as they cannot study at night.

Lack of electricity has also prevented locals from operating small-scale industries. During the civic polls held last year, Mayor Ramesh Kumar Basnet had pledged to electrify the municipality within a year. Even after being elected as the mayor, Basnet had promised to accord top priority to electrification of the municipality.

Locals at Kaushani, Kalleri and Salleni lament that municipality had neglected far-flung areas inside the municipality. Almost 100 families of Khorebashi and Bahunchura have been  deprived of electricity. Forty families at Gairathok of Ward 4 have no electricity supply.

Local Tirthraj Bhattarai said service delivery of the local level was not satisfactory.

Chief at Nepal Electricity Authority, Ramechhap, BinodAdhikari pledged to complete electrification of all settlements in the municipality very soon. Adhiklari said NEA would expedite the work to supply power to the far-flung areas.