JAJARKOT: Almost 25,000 people living in Khalanga, the Jajarkot district headquarters, have been deprived of electricity for last 10 days after a local micro hydro-electricity project faced obstruction.

The local Sangta Risang River Micro Hydropower Project was shut for maintenance. Further, the water level in the river is decreasing, according to locals.

The residents were forced to stay in dark for long as the village was not connected to the central electricity transmission line allegedly due to negligence of government authorities.

Works had started to expand the line to the village, but it could not be completed yet.

According to local businesspersons, the main market area of Bheri Malika Municipality including industries, shops among others have been affected due to the obstruction.

Kiran Kumar Bhandari, a local, said that one megawatt electricity is required for the headquarters, but only 40-45 kilowatt is being transmitted, which is apparently insufficient.

"The bulbs are blinking every time," Bhandari said, "That too completely disappears many times."

"The micro hydro-electricity project was constructed as an alternative till the central transmission line was made. But the project, estimated to have the capacity of 99.13 kilowatt, could not even generate 45 kilowatt of electricity," said Dipendra Sharma, a journalist.

The project also gets frequently obstructed because of drought during summers and landslides during monsoons.

Shiva Prasad Sharma, Chairperson of Hydropower Consumer Committee, said that repair work was underway.