The work of taking the electric wires underground within the Kathmandu Metropolitan City area will be carried out through coordination between the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC).

To solve the problems seen in the field during the undergrounding of wires, NEA’s directors and the heads of the Public Construction Department of the Metropolitan City have been designated to conduct necessary monitoring and coordination.

After complaints that the road was not repaired by contractors after completing the work, and due to lack of approval from the Road Department, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and other bodies, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development, Kulman Ghising, held discussions on Sunday with NEA’s Executive Director, project chiefs, representatives from KMC, and contractors.

Minister Ghising urged that the underground wire project inside Kathmandu be completed before the upcoming monsoon season begins, and that overhead wires be immediately removed in areas where the underground work has already been completed, in coordination with internet, telephone, and television service providers.

“I am currently handling the responsibility of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure as well. I have already discussed with the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City to advance the work in the remaining areas. The Metropolis is cooperating. Let us immediately push forward the work in areas like Putalisadak where work is still pending. This is the final opportunity - if we cannot do it now, it will never get done,” Minister Ghising said. He also instructed officials to immediately carry out road repairs and other tasks that appear necessary in the field after construction work.

NEA’s Managing Director Manoj Silwal said that the construction work will be advanced through coordination with the Road Department and local governments. He mentioned that electricity supply from underground lines has already begun in completed areas, and overhead lines will gradually be removed.

In the first phase, NEA began work to underground, strengthen, and automate the electricity distribution system in Kathmandu Valley in areas under the Ratnapark and Maharajgunj distribution centers. In the second phase, work began in the remaining areas of Kathmandu; in the third phase, in urban areas of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur; and in the fourth phase, in areas under Pokhara and Bharatpur Metropolitan Cities. Construction progress inside Kathmandu Valley is currently around 80 percent.

Under this project, 33 kV, 11 kV, and 400-volt underground lines will be constructed, along with the laying of optical fiber. This will end the visual pollution caused by the tangled wires of electricity, telephone, and internet service providers, adding to the city's beauty. The underground system will be safer than the current overhead distribution system and will help maintain the city's aesthetics by removing the network of wires that makes the city look ugly.

Technology that minimizes road damage is being used in the undergrounding work. Work is arranged to take place at night so that the movement of vehicles and pedestrians is not affected. Measures have been taken to reduce dust generated during road excavation to minimize impact on the public. Any road damage caused during the undergrounding process will be repaired within 10 days.