Nawalparasi: Some 15,000 trees of the local community forests are to be felled to clear ground for the 220kv new Butwal-Bardaghat transmission line. The transmission line is being installed with the investement of Rs. 650 million of the government of Nepal.

Ashok Pokhrel, information officer of the new Butwal-Bardaghat 220kv transmission line and sub-station project, informed that construction work of the substation of the 220kv transmision line at Badera, near Sunwal, in West Nawalparasi has entered the final stage and that a large number of trees needed to be cut down to expand the transmission line from Badera to Bardaghat, which is the second stage of the project.

To take the electricity line to the electricity centre at Bardaghat from the 220kv substation being beilt at Badera, Sunwal Municipality-12, plan has been made to stretch the transmission line along the basin of the Chure hills lying to the north of the East-West Highway, according to Pokhrel.

The area from which the transmission line is to be stretched falls under the community forest and that about 15,000 tress have to be cut down for expanding the transmission line.

The transmission line will be 21 km long from Sunwal to Bardaghat substation and this will go through Bardagoriya of Sunwal Municipality, wards no 1 and 3 of Saralwal Rural Municiaplity, wards no 2, 4, and 10 of Bardaghat Municipality. Similarly, trees of Chisapani community forest, Badera community forest, Baba Bardgoriya community forest, Bhagawati community forest, Kotai community forest, Dambarbhar community forest, among others, are to be felled to clear the way for the transmission line.

PowerChina Sepco1 Electrical Power Construction Company is building the transmission line which will have 60 towers in the stretch of 21 km and that the construction will be completed within two years.

Following the construction of the substation and the transmission line, electricity generated in hydel projects in the Kaligandaki basins will be connected with the national grid and it will make it easy for expansion of electricity supply in Nawalparasi, Butwal and Bhairahawa, which will in turn provide electricity in sufficient amount for the burgeoning industries in the area.