Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)’s plan of laying underground electricity cables on the main roads of the Kathmandu Valley has become challenging. Due to the lack of necessary coordination between the NEA and the Department of Roads, the extension of the underground electric lines has become more problematic. The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the task of laying underground transmission lines on February 17, 2020 through a formal program. The work of laying the underground transmission lines has not yet started on the main roads of Kathmandu.

In March 2019, the authority signed a contract with Indian KEI Industries Limited for the construction of underground transmission lines from Maharajgunj and Ratnapark distribution centers. According to the contract, the contractor company should have completed the construction of the underground transmission lines by October 2021. Till now, the expansion of underground electric lines in the Valley has not been able to accelerate.

Tara Prasad Pradhan, acting deputy executive director of the Project Management Directorate of the NEA, said that the work of laying underground electricity cables has not yet started on the main roads of Kathmandu. "We have not yet received the permission to lay underground electricity cables on the main roads of Kathmandu," he said, “The work is not being done as expected because the Department of Roads has not given permission,” he said.

Spokesperson for the Department of Roads, Bhirmajun Adhikari, said that the authority has sought permission to lay underground electricity cables on the main roads of the Kathmandu Valley. Permission to lay the cables along the new sections of roads will be given only after the completion of ongoing works.

According to Acting Deputy Executive Director Pradhan, only 70 percent of the extension of underground power lines towards Maharajgunj distribution center and 60 percent towards Ratnapark distribution center have been completed. The construction work has been started at a cost of Rs 7 billion under the two distribution centers. The project is run with concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank and the joint investment of the Government of Nepal and the NEA.

The NEA plans to construct about 250 km of 11000 voltage underground line and about 400 km of 400 voltage underground line under the Maharajgunj distribution centre which covers areas such as Baluwatar, Budhanilkantha, Tokha, Gongbu, Maharajganj. NEA also plans to lay about 250 km of optical fiber underground in this area.

Acting Deputy Executive Director Pradhan said that due to the delay in extending the Kalanki Maharajganj road section, the work of the underground power line on the main road section has been affected. "It is said that the Chinese company will expand the ring road from Kalanki to Maharajganj, but as the work of expanding this road section has not yet progressed, work has not been done on this section," he said.

According to the directorate, under the Maharajganj distribution center, underground transmission lines are being constructed in Budhanilkantha, Basundhara, Mandikhatar and other areas. The authority is also planning to organize the electric panels placed on the roads and sidewalks.

Deputy Executive Director Pradhan said that since the 100 electric panels placed on the narrow footpaths and roads have affected the pedestrians, work is being done to arrange them again. The authority aims to lay about 200 km of 11000 voltage electricity cables, 400 km of 400 voltage underground electricity cables and about 200 km of optical fiber in the areas under Ratnapark distribution center in Ratnapark, New Road, Anamnagar, Thamel, Tripureshwar, Singha Durbar, Lazimpat, Airport, Chabahil, Jorpati etc.

In areas like Teku, Tripureshwar Thapathali, Maitighar, New Baneshwar, Tinkune-Sinamangal and Tribhuvan International Airport, which are under the Ratnapark distribution center, the construction of underground electric lines has not been started as the NEA is yet to received permission from the Department of Roads.

However, work has been done on the inner roads of this section. Ratnapark distribution center has completed construction of underground transmission line from Gaushala to Chabahil Chuchepati only.