The work on expanding the 132 kV electricity transmission line in Karnali has been in limbo for almost 5 and a half years.

The extension of the Kohalpur-Surkhet transmission line has been delayed for a long time due to compensation disputes, tower construction, tree felling, etc. Due to which there is a problem of low voltage and irregular supply in all districts of Karnali. The district headquarters and surrounding villages have been without electricity for five days due to the closure of the micro-hydropower project in Humla, which does not reach the central transmission line.

Indian company RS Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. has won the contract in Asad 2077 for the construction of a 132 kV transmission line from Kohalpur in Banke to Birendranagar in Surkhet. It had initially signed a contract agreement for Rs 700 million for 24 months. But so far, the deadline has been extended 4 times. During the extension of the transmission line, the work was stalled for almost two years after the locals did not provide land for the construction of a high-tension tower in Baniyabhar, Baijnath Rural Municipality-1 in Banke.

The work was carried out in the third week of last Baisakh by mobilizing security personnel and paying compensation as per the government rate. Out of the 3 towers to be constructed in Baniyabhar, two towers have been constructed in about 5 months while the construction of one tower is still pending. ‘Festivals, protests and labor shortage also delayed the construction of the tower,’ said Ritesh Jaiswal, engineer of the 132 KV transmission line project. ‘We are trying to complete the work as quickly as possible, but sometimes things do not work out and sometimes problems arise.’

According to the project, out of 162 towers to be constructed from Kohalpur to Birendranagar, two towers, Baniyabhar and Subbakuna, are yet to be constructed. Engineer Jaiswal said that the time is likely to be extended as trees are yet to be cut in the Harre forest area under the Bardiya National Park.

According to him, about 200 trees remain to be cut in an area of ​​about two kilometers. ‘There was a compensation dispute towards Baniyambhar, while tree felling was stopped,’ he said, ‘The work of laying wires is also pending in some places.’ According to him, out of the 52 kilometers from Kohalpur to Surkhet, 5 kilometers of wire are still pending. Project chief Ravi Kumar Chaudhary said that the work is being done as per the plan to complete the work by mid-Mangsir.

The 33 KVA line that was connected to Surkhet when King Birendra came to Surkhet in 2045 BS is now connected to Dailekh, Jajarkot, Jumla, Kalikot, Rukum and Salyan. Mugu and Dolpa were connected to the national transmission line last year. The Karnali Provincial Office of the Electricity Authority has stated that the central transmission line has been extended to about 150,000 houses in Karnali.

Haraksingh KC of Birendranagar-6 said that due to the lack of expansion of the 132 kV transmission line, problems such as power outages and insufficient voltage have been experienced. ‘Just talking about the central line,’ he said, ‘there is not a day when there is no power outage 5/6 times in an hour.’ He said that the breakdown of electrical equipment is increasing due to repeated power outages. Padam Shahi, president of the Karnali Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that large industries have not been able to open due to power problems.

The district headquarters Simkot and Kharpunath rural municipality have been in darkness for five days after a machine malfunctioned at the Hildum Small Hydropower Project in Humla, which is not connected to the national transmission line. Pema Lama of Simkot said that there are problems with household work due to the lack of electricity. According to him, due to the disruption of power service, telephone, mobile and internet services are disrupted in Simkot from time to time. According to him, local traders charge Rs 100 for charging mobile phones through generators. Local trader Sundar Rokaya said that all electronic shops and small and medium-sized industries in the district headquarters have been closed due to the disruption of electricity service. Senior Anmi Sarita Bohara of the district hospital said that services including X-ray, video X-ray and lab tests at the district hospital have been disrupted due to the electricity problem. Project chief Jitendra Shah said that it will take another 1/2 days for electricity supply to resume as the repair work of the power house machines is ongoing.

Nepal Electricity Authority is also working on the Surkhet-Dailekh 132 kV electricity transmission line along with the extension of the line to Birendranagar. Although work on the line, which starts from Subbakuna substation in Surkhet and reaches Chupra in Dailekh, has been started for two years, only 40 percent of the work has been completed in two years.

The 32-km-long project, which requires the construction of 102 towers, has been stalled due to the failure to obtain permission to cut down trees, said project chief  Chaudhary. According to him, in 2080 Ashar, Sigma Construction had taken over the construction for Rs 800 million with the aim of completing the construction by 2082 Ashar.