NUWAKOT: Locals on Monday padlocked the administration office at the Chilime Hydropower Project site in Rasuwa, claiming that the project had not allocated promised shares for the locals.

“The project cheated us while distributing shares,” said Santengba Tamang, coordinator of Chilime Share Struggle Committee, said.

The project had agreed to provide eight per cent shares to the people of affected areas in December 2006. However, the project issued a public notice on June 6, stating that it would provide only five per cent of shares to the locals. The locals have been staging protests since then, saying that the decision was against the previous agreement.

They also moved the Supreme Court demanding stay order to stop the initial public offering of the project. The SC yesterday issued stay order, asking the project to stop its initial public offering.

“The padlock at the administrative office has affected the administration works of the project,” engineer Umesh Bhattarai said. Bhattarai, however, said the padlocking had not affected power generation.

Locals of Dhunche, Ramche, Dhaibung and Loharpauwa VDCs have been demanding shares of the project.

The project had floated shares worth Rs 230 million, of which 115200 units had been reserved for the locals in affected areas.”We had sent proposal to the Securities Board of Nepal to provide eight per cent of shares to the people of affected areas. However, the SEBON reduced it to five per cent, saying that providing eight per cent shares to locals was illegal,” engineer Bhattarai said.