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.

The fire also damaged property worth 250 million rupees, besides leading to disruption in the generation of 32 Megawatt electricity, said Sarada Bikaram Malla, Administrative Officer at the Kulekhani Hydropower Project –II.

The details on the damage caused by the fire would be available after an investigation committee constituted for that purpose submits its report, it is stated.

Personnel of the Nepalese Army and Nepal Police and locals put off the fire after nearly two hours with the help of fire engines brought from Chitwan, Birgunj and Hetauda.

KATHMANDU: Indian hydropower construction company GMR has more troubles ahead as Nepal’s hardliner Maoist- CPN Maoist- has decided to form a security force to evict the company from Nepal.

GMR has been involved in the construction of Upper Karnali Hydropower Project situated in the hills of mid-Western Nepal and has been facing obstruction from the party cadres for a long time now. However, so far the friction was kept in the soft side. But this decision has made public the party’s official stance on Indian companies.

CPN Maoist’s recent Bheri-Karnali State Committee took the decision, officially endorsing the decision to banish GMR from the project, Nepal’s national daily newspaper Nagarik reported in its Thursday edition.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Secretary of the State Committee Bharat Bam was quoted as stating that the “decision was taken as part of the party’s ideology and work plan to remove foreign interventions from projects of national importance”.

” If GMR starts to work under present conditions, than we have decided to even launch underground protest and activities against the project,” Bam said, adding “we wont accept any projects that are against national interest and sovereignty.”

On the occasion, Bam informed that the party’s volunteer bureau was presently observing the activities of GMR and other foreign companies related to sensitive and nationally important projects.

Responding to question on the necessity to form an security force, Bam said that the such a security force is going to be formed for dealing with locals who are in support of the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project and GMR company.

Five months earlier, some locals had clashed with CPN Maoist cadres and evicted them from the project site where GMR was holding an public assessment program.