Construction works of Rahughat Hydropower project not started

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    Babiyachour (Myagdi), July 27:

    RaghughatConstruction works of Rahughat Hydropower Project, Myagdi, which was said to be completed within the fiscal year 2071/72 BS, have not been started yet.

    The construction works of the 32 MW project were delayed due to government, donor agencies and construction company. The Nepal Electricity Authority is constructing the hydropower project there.

    Central member of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Pramod Kumar Shrestha, said that although the NEA was at the construction site since 2066 BS to complete the construction works of the project in the current fiscal year, it was too late and negligence not to carry out the main construction works of the project yet.

    Shrestha said that construction works should be carried out by holding discussion with IVRCL, a construction company taking responsibility to construct the project, otherwise responsibility should be given to another construction company for the same.

    NEA employees said that the company is now hesitating to carry out the construction works after it could not get the compensation claimed. The company had claimed the compensation of around two years saying it could not get the works even after being present at the site since 2068 BS.

    The company had returned at the construction site without any condition after holding discussion in a meeting held in 2070 BS after 18 months, but it has not started the construction works yet.

    Project manager Bikram Chauhan said that there was no financial problem to carry out the construction works and added that construction works of dam, tunnel ad power house was underway.

    The NEA on had August 3, 2010, signed the IVRCL, an Indian construction company, to carryout civil engineering related works of the project including tunnel, dam and power house.

    A report submitted to the government by the NEA mentions only 10 progress of the project.

    The project is being constructed at a cost of Rs 67 million US dollar including Rs 31 million soft loan of Exim Bank, India, and remaining of NEA.

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