The Dharan sub-metropolis and locals have agreed not to raise any further obstacles during the construction of the Koshi Corridor transmission line, which has been halted since the last five months.

The Dharan sub-metropolis had obstructed the construction work of Koshi Corridor transmission line — the transmission line corridor from Inaruwa to Taplejung — claiming that the double-circuit 220 kVA line will damage the potential of paragliding from Chundanda.

It had also raised concerns related to the cutting down of trees that lie along the path of the corridor. The local body is also not happy that the 105-kmlong line passes through Gorkha Park.

The local body had blamed Nepal Electricity Authority for disrupting tourism activities in the region and local community forest societies had also objected to the construction of the project as approximately 9,000 trees along the corridor will have to be cut down.

According to NEA, the Dharan sub-metropolis, locals and community forest societies of Sunsari district have agreed to the construction of the double-circuit transmission line.

Kul Man Ghising, managing director of NEA, said that the local body along with affected locals had agreed to the construction of the transmission line after the government pledged that it would help promote community based development programmes in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, to resolve the aforementioned problem, Chief Minister of Province 1 Sherdhan Rai, had taken the initiative to coordinate with the related local bodies. A meeting between the local body, engineers, contractors, affected local committees, consultant company and members of local political parties have signed an agreement not to halt construction works.

The corridor passes through five districts including Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Dhankuta and Sunsari.

Ghising further said that the power utility is committed to meeting the deadline to complete the construction of the Koshi Corridor transmission line within 15 months to ensure that electricity that is generated by various hydropower projects being built along the corridor can be connected to the national grid.

As per NEA, the 51-megawatt Mewa Khola hydropower project and 15MW Maya Khola project that are being constructed by independent power producers will come into operation in the next 18 months.

According to NEA, if there is delay in completing the Koshi Corridor transmission line then 510 megawatts of electricity will go to waste. Moreover, NEA has already signed Power Purchase Agreements to purchase nearly 1,000 megawatts of electricity from various hydropower projects being built along corridor.