The government had said that the construction of the Bheri-Babai diversion multi-purpose project of national pride would start from the financial year 2068/69. But the project was started only in 2071/72. The work of the first phase (tunnel construction) was completed almost a year before the scheduled time, but the work of the second and third phase of the Bheri-Babai multi-purpose project has been delayed.

In the first phase, China Overseas Engineering Group (COVEC) was assigned to construct the tunnel by 2076 Chait 15. The company completed the 12.2 km long tunnel ahead of the deadline.

The government has extended the deadline for the construction of this project of national pride till the financial year 2084/85. The project which was initially started to be completed by 2079/80 has been extended for 5 years . But due to the delay in the work, there is doubt that the project will be completed within the specified time . So far, the physical progress of the project has been only 69 percent.

The project is one of the biggest irrigation projects in Nepal and has been carried out with the aim of providing irrigation facilities for twelve months by transferring the river water to the Majhaula River. Work is being done with a plan to build a dam on the Bheri river at Chipley in the Bheriganga municipality of Surkhet and to release the Bheri water through a tunnel into the Babai river on the border of Surkhet and Bardia and to generate about 46 megawatts of electricity . The project aims to provide irrigation facilities to around 51,000 lands in Banke and Bardia.

There is a plan to supply more hydropower to the national grid by increasing the production and productivity of the agricultural sector through irrigation facilities in Banke and Bardia districts. The work after the break-through of the tunnel of this project, which started almost 13 years ago, has not been accelerated. The total progress of the project reached 69 percent from the initial period of the project to the last financial year 2081/82, which was extended to the financial year 2084/85 after the deadline was repeatedly extended. In which financial progress is 54.82 percent and according to the contract agreement, 68.63 percent physical progress has been made.

The project has been affected due to the Corona epidemic and it is said that the project has not taken a satisfactory pace. Due to Corona, the work of the project was affected for almost 2 years . Lack of resource agreement for the

project is also the reason for the delay. It is said that the project is experiencing problems such as the time required to amend the program, the delay in obtaining approval for the preparation of the environmental impact assessment study report for the construction of the transmission line.

 Information officer Pawan Adhikari said that the project is facing the problem of delay in master list approval for the management and transportation of large equipment, equipment parts and construction materials for the construction of the project.

Similarly, he said that the construction work is being directly affected by activities such as rioting, vandalism, and stopping the construction work by making unnecessary demands from time to time. Although there are security personnel around the project site, the project claims that there is no security arrangement.

Although there has been a request for compensation from the locals regarding the compensation of the exempted Ailani land and the structure built on the said land, there is a lack of clear policies and procedures regarding the acquisition of Ailani land, procedural complications due to the change of ownership of Ailani land and lack of consistency between the policies issued by the federal government. It has been concluded that the project has not reached the expected speed due to the lack of arrangement of experts including expert team who can solve the problems in the

project immediately, not paying enough attention to issues such as technology transfer, research and development, and procedural complications in working in the forest and national park areas.

At present, the dam construction site Veriganga Municipality-11 Chipley, out of the total 6 bays of the dam to be constructed, the spillway and stilling basin structure of bay-1 and 2, as well as the slope and concreting of two out of the total 6 bays of the stilling basin, informed the official.

Similarly, he said that the construction work of structures such as intake gravel trap, forebay, and left bank guidewall is continuing. Similarly, at the Surgesoft construction site, the slope has been protected and the collar beam has been sloped and shaft digging has started. Excavation work has been completed at the power house construction site and the foundation has been tested and the raft foundation slope work is about to start .

Similarly, the design of bay 1 and 2 of the spillway pier has been approved and the slope work has been completed . Since the design of the structure under hydromechanical has been approved, the construction equipment related to electromechanical has come to the construction site . A detailed survey report regarding the electricity transmission line has been received and submitted to the Ministry of Forests and Environment for study approval.

has reported that the project has spent 18 billion 199 million rupees so far. In the last fiscal year, 1 billion 801.9 million rupees have been allocated for the project, and 98 percent of the annual target has been achieved in terms of physical and 95.42 percent financial progress. In the last financial year, 1 billion 71 crore rupees have been spent out of the total allocated budget. The total cost of the project is 33 billion 196 million. Of the 33 hectares of land required for the