STAKEHOLDERS DEMAND GOVT ALLOCATE ADEQUATE BUDGET : Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project

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    Stakeholders have demanded the government allocate adequate budget for the development of Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project.

    During a public hearing organised here on Monday in presence of more than two dozen lawmakers including Parliamentary Agriculture and Water Resource Committee Chairman Gagan Thapa, residents of the area to be affected by the project and local politicians asked the lawmakers to fast-track the project development.

    “It’s high time the project construction began and the government must allocate adequate budget,” said Thapa, adding the government must prioritise this national pride project.

    Rajendra Pandey, lawmaker from Dhading, said the project will get priority in the upcoming budget.

    “A detailed study of the project has been completed,” he said. “The construction will also starts soon.”

    District Administration Offices of Dhading and Gorkha have already published land seizure notices, freezing transaction of about 59,900 ropanis of land to be acquired by the project. The 1200MW project is based on the border of Gorkha and Dhading districts.

    Survey and Land Revenue Offices in the districts, under the leadership of the project development committee, have identified and marked the places to be affected by the project as per the directive of the Ministry of Land Reform and Management.

    More than 8,000 households will be affected by the project, according to the latest report by the project development committee. The report states the reservoir of the storage-type project will completely submerge 3,560 households and they need to be resettled to alternative location with proper compensation.

    A 263-metre-high dam will be built for the Budhigandaki project which will create a lake that could become a tourist attraction. The project is expected to cost around Rs200 billion.

    Source : The Kathmandu Post