KATHMANDU: Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Krishna Hari Baskota has said that the new budget would allocate required amount of budget for the Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project to be developed along the border side of Dhading and Gorkha districts.

Speaking at an interaction in Reporters Club today, the former finance secretary said that the government has recognized it as the project of national pride as this project would be fruitful to end loadshedding in the country and the construction cost of the project was also comparatively low.

Baskota said no project of national pride would face the budget crunch in the upcoming budget.

Secretary Baskota informed that the project would be developed soon once the French company submits its reports on feasibility study, DPR and tender. “The project will be completed within five years of beginning.”

The total capacity of the project is 615 MW.

Likewise, former minister and UML leader Gangalal Tuladhar said the project should be developed as an exemplary one in the country.

He also claimed that the project was not started due to interests of different power centers.

Likewise, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Rameshwor Yadav said the project would address the demands and problems of the locals of the affected ares.

Similarly, Chairman of Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Proejct Development Committee Dr Laxmi Prasad Devkota said that the project should be completed at any cost. He added the proejct would be completed within eight years if the existing legal provisions were cut short.

Club’s Chairman Rishi Dhamala chaired the interaction.

On the occasion, Dhamala said the project would be a milestone to uplift livelihood of people of Dhading and Gorkha districts while the country would be free from power cuts.

He also said that the Reporters Club would leave no stone untruned to take initiative to begin the project construction.

Locals said that the entire VDC has suffered power cuts after the project with capacity of 98 Kilowatt failed to generate power.

Similarly, mobile phone towers, two drinking water projects, eight grinding mills, four poultry farms and a television cable network have also been closed due to power cuts, former VDC Chairman Manorath Sharma said.

The villagers had constructed the Hydel project by supplying water through a 1,610 meters long canal after constructing a dam in Putputekhola.

Sharma said some Rs 1.5 million is required to repair the damaged canal and embankment.

A total of 834 households of the entire VDC were benefited by the power generated from the project. Sharma said the project would remain closed for at least two months in need of maintenance.

KATHMANDU: The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the umbrella organization of Nepalese businessmen and entrepreneurs, has said it would give top priority for the development of hydropower aiming to strengthen nation’s economy.

Necessary policy and programs for infrastructure development and resolving workers’ problems have been formulated, President of FNCCI Suraj Vaidhya told the members of the Society for Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON). “We are committed to coming up with result-oriented programs in his sector”, he said.

A study on tourism, agriculture and infra structure development has been completed and outcome of the study will come into implementation within this fiscal year.

An agreement to this end was signed and exchanged amidst a ceremony at the Ministry of Finance on Friday. The project with a capacity of generating 20MW of electricity shall be operated in Achham district.

Madhhu Kumar Marasini, Joint Secretary and Chief of the International Economic Cooperation and Coordination Division, Ministry of Finance and Mr Hesham Al-Waqayan, Deputy Director General, Kuwait Fund signed on the agreement on behalf of the respective sides.