KATHMANDU, FEB 13 –
The Budhi Gandaki Development Committee has been mulling building the 600 MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower project under the public private partnership (PPP) model. The committee said the PPP was one of the best options to complete the national pride project on schedule.
The storage type hydropower project will be built on the Budhi Gandaki River located in Dhading and Gorkha districts in north central Nepal. The project is estimated to cost Rs 100 billion, and its dam will create a lake 11 times larger than Phewa Tal.
Members of the committee said that they were preparing to implement the project under the PPP model to ensure its smooth development and avoid possible problems with land acquisition and resettlement of the local inhabitants. A number of hydropower and other infrastructure projects in the country have been bogged down due to such obstacles of late.
The then energy minister Gokarna Bista, during whose tenure the Budhi Gandaki project was conceived, had also said that domestic financial institutions and locals would be given the first priority to invest in it.
Meanwhile, a committee member said that the project would affect 12 VDCs of Dhading and 11 VDCs of Gorkha, and that the government was planning a compensation package for those affected. The project is expected to displace around 10,000 people.
The compensation package will consist of 50 percent cash and 50 percent stock in the project. “Participation of the locals in the project will help them feel ownership in it and also be part of the compensation package,” said the member. “Moreover, this type of scheme is expected to allow the project to move ahead without unnecessary obstacles from the local people.”
The committee has been holding talks with domestic financial institutions to bankroll the project. Among them, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Nepal Telecom, Citizens Investment Trust (CIT) and Rastriya Beema Sansthan have agreed to invest in the project.
Meanwhile, committee member Damber Nepali said that talks were underway to develop the project under the PPP model. “We have the expertise, experience and local financing which will be used for the successful implementation of this project,” he added.
A feasibility study was completed in 1984, but the project has failed to interest potential foreign donors and private power developers. For this reason, the Budhi Gandaki Development Committee has been planning to develop it with local financing.
Meanwhile, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is holding its first meeting with representatives of Tractwell Engineering of France which has been awarded the contract to prepare a detailed project report (DPR).
“During the meeting, the committee will ask the consultant to prepare the DPR in a way to allow the project to be implemented under the PPP model,” said a member. The NEA had contracted the French company last year to prepare the DPR for Rs 470.90 million.
The feasibility study of the project was completed in 1984. As per the study, the project is one of the most desirable hydropower projects due to its high potential benefits and proximity to the capital. The reservoir of the
Budhi Gandaki will have an area of 50 sq km. Tractwell Engineering began work on the DPR at the project site on Feb 1. The government aims to complete the project by 2020.
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बुढी गण्डकी आयोजना पीपीपी मोडेलमा निर्माण गर्ने गृहकार्य
काठमाडौ, फाल्गुन १ –
बुढी गण्डकी जलविद्युत् आयोजना विकास समितिले ६ सय मेगावाटको जलाशययुक्त आयोजना निजी-सार्वजनिक साझेदारी -पीपीपी) मोडेलमा निर्माण गर्ने गृहकार्य अघि बढाएको छ ।
सरकारले राष्ट्रिय गौरवको आयोजनामा राखेको बुढी गण्डकीलाई समयमै सम्पन्न गर्न पीपीपी मोडेलमा निर्माण गर्नु नै सबभन्दा उपयुक्त विकल्प भएकाले सोहीअनुसार गृहकार्य गरेको जानकारी समितिका एक सदस्यले दिए ।
ती सदस्यले उक्त आयोजनाका लागि जग्गा अधिग्रहण र प्रभावित क्षेत्रका बासिन्दालाई पुनर्बास गर्दा आउने समस्या सहज रूपमा समाधान गरी बिनाअपरोध निर्माण कार्य गर्नका लागि नै पीपीपी मोडेलमा निर्णय गर्ने तयारी भइहेको जानकारी दिए । पीडितको पुनर्बासको समस्या र स्थानीय जनताको अवरोधका कारण जलविद्युत्सहित थुप्रै पूर्वाधार विकासका आयोजनाको निर्माणमा ढिलाइ भएको अनुभवका आधारमा पीपीपी मोडेललाई सबभन्दा उपयुक्त विकल्पका रूपमा रोजिएको ती सदस्यले बताए ।
तत्कालीन ऊर्जामन्त्री गोकर्ण बिष्टकै पालामा भएकै गृहकार्यअनुसार बुढी आयोजना निर्माणमा स्वदेशी वित्तीय कम्पनी र स्थानीयबासीलाई आयोजनामा लगानी गर्न पहिलो प्राथमिकता दिनेबारेमा छलफल अघि बढेको जानकारीसमेत ती सदस्यले दिए ।
विकास समितिका एक सदस्यका अनुसार उक्त जलाशययुक्त आयोजनाले धादिङका १२ र गोरखा जिल्लाका ११ गाविसलाई प्रत्यक्ष प्रभावित गर्ने र १० हजार परिवारलाई विस्थापित गराउने छ । सरकारले ती गाविसका प्रभावित परिवारलाई क्षतिपूर्तिको प्याकेज दिने योजनासमेत बनाइरहेको छ । कुल दिइने प्याकेजमा ५० प्रतिशत क्षतिपूर्तिका रूपमा दिइने पीडित परिवारलाई दिइने र बाँकी ५० प्रतिशत उनीहरूलाई आयोजनामा सेयरका रूपमा दिइने छ । प्रभावित परिवारले सेयरका कारण आयोजनाबाट ठूलो मात्रा लाभांश प्राप्त गरी लाभान्वित हुने विश्वास विकास समितिको छ ।
‘स्थानीयको प्रत्यक्ष सहभागिताले आयोजनाको विकासमा उनीहरूमा आयोजनाप्रति अपनत्वको भावना बढाउन सहयोग पुग्ने छ । त्यसले क्षतिपूर्ति प्याकेजको कामसमेत गर्ने छ,’ ती सदस्यले भने, ‘यो स्किमले विशेष गरी स्थानीयबासीको अवरोधबिनै निर्वाध रूपमा आयोजनालाई गति दिन मद्दत पुग्ने विश्वास छ ।’
विकास समितिले उक्त आयोजनामा लगानी गर्न धेरै नेपाली जनताको लगानी रहेका कर्मचारी सञ्चय कोष, नागरिक लगानी कोष र बिमा संस्थानसित वार्ता अघि बढाएको छ । तीन वटै वित्तीय संस्थाले लगानी गर्ने प्रारम्भिक सहमति जनाइसकेका छन् ।
स्थानीयबासी र स्वदेशी लगानीको जलविद्युत् आयोजना निर्माणमा अगुवा मानिएका विकास समितिका सदस्य डम्बर नेपालीले बुढी गण्डकी पीपीपी मोडेलमा विकास गर्नेबारे वार्ता अघि बढिरहेको बताए ।
‘हामीसँगको स्थानीय लगानीबाट आयोजना सफलतापूर्वक निर्माण गरेको अनुभव र दक्षता छ । त्यही अनुभव र दक्षताबाट बुढी गण्डकीलाई सफलतापूर्वक कार्यान्वयन गर्न सक्ने छौं’ उनले भने ।
पूर्वसम्भाव्यता अध्ययन गरी सन् १९८४ मै पहिचान भइसकेको बुढी गण्डकी आयोजनामा कहिल्यै पनि विदेशी तथा स्वेदशी निजी लगानीकर्ता आकषिर्त भएनन् । त्यही कारण विकास समितिले पीपीपी मोडेलमा सरकार, स्वदेशी वित्तीय कम्पनी तथा स्थानीय लगानीबाट आयोजना निर्माण गर्ने गृहकार्य गरिहेको एक सदस्यले जानकारी दिए ।
Source : Kantipur Publication
