The expansion of the 132 kV power transmission line in Karnali Province has been halted due to three towers. The project has been stalled for a long time because locals have refused to provide land for the construction of high-tension towers in Baniyabhar, Baijanath Rural Municipality-1, Banke.

The Indian company RS Infra Project Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the contract in June 2020 to expand the transmission line from Kohalpur in Banke to Birendranagar in Surkhet.

Initially, the company had signed a contract for 70 crore rupees for a period of 24 months. However, the deadline has been extended four times, and there is still uncertainty about when the construction will be completed. According to project chief Ravi Kumar Chaudhary, nine towers remain to be constructed under the project—six in Gabhar and three in Baniyabhar of Baijanath Rural Municipality-1, Banke.

According to him, the locals in Gabhar have agreed to receive compensation at the prevailing government rate, but the lack of agreement with the locals in Baniyabhar has stalled the power expansion work. He informed that the land prices in Gabhar have been set at 25 lakh, 28 lakh, and 32 lakh rupees per kattha.

A total of 9 meters of land on both sides needs to be acquired for tower construction. There is one house in the disputed area. “We have tried to provide compensation at the prevailing market rate,” said project chief Chaudhary, “but the problem arose because the locals demanded a higher price for the land.”

According to him, the dispute had reached the court. Locals had filed a writ petition at the High Court Tulsipur Bench in Nepalgunj, claiming that the project would affect arable land and displace some residents. In the second week of Magh, the High Court dismissed the petition, ruling that since the issue directly concerns public interest, the transmission line construction should not be halted, provided that adequate compensation is given.

After the court’s decision, the local administration has been coordinating with the locals, said Banke’s Chief District Officer Khagendra Prasad Rijal. The locals of Baniyabhar have been obstructing the project, stating that despite having various alternatives, the transmission line is being routed through the middle of the village, which would force them to relocate.

“Firstly, our land is already limited, and after the transmission line covers 9 meters on both sides, only 2 to 4 meters will remain. How will we manage with that?” said Gyan Bahadur Oli from Boarding Tol in Baniyabhar. “Even if we receive compensation, that money won’t be enough to buy land elsewhere. How will we continue to live?”

According to him, the project has stated that it will provide compensation of 25 to 32 lakh rupees per kattha. He also mentioned that there is a possibility of routing the transmission line along the banks of Itakhola, a little away from the settlement. Another local, Santakumar Sharma, stated that the transmission line is being routed through the settlement and arable land to protect the lands of influential individuals and to facilitate the sale of some lands.

“We were initially deceived by calling it a drinking water project during the surveying,” he said. “Now, even when we ask for compensation that would allow us to build a house elsewhere and sustain ourselves, they refuse to provide it.”

The distance of the transmission line from Kohalpur in Banke to Subba Kuna Substation in Birendranagar is 52 kilometers. Out of the 161 towers that need to be constructed along this distance, 146 towers have been completed so far.

In this section, towers have been constructed and the wires have been installed over a 32-kilometer stretch. Nearly 14 kilometers of the transmission line falls within the Banke and Bardiya National Park areas. The project office has stated that seven towers are currently under construction in the park area. Similarly, the substation work in Birendranagar is in its final stages. Project chief Chaudhary mentioned that physical progress of nearly 80 percent has been made in the transmission line so far.

In 1988 B.S., when King Birendra visited Surkhet, a single 33 kV line connected Surkhet to Dailekh, Jajarkot, Jumla, Kalikot, Rukum, and Salyan.

The Karnali Provincial Office of the Electricity Authority has stated that the central transmission line expansion has been completed in about 140,000 households in Karnali. Harkasingh KC from Birendranagar-6 mentioned that without the expansion of the 132 kV transmission line, they have been suffering from issues such as frequent power outages and insufficient voltage. “Just having the central line is not enough,” he said. “There isn’t a day when the power doesn’t go out 5 to 6 times in an hour.”

He mentioned that the frequent power outages have been increasing the damage to electrical appliances. Padam Shahi, the president of the Karnali Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that the electricity problems have prevented large industries from opening in the region.

Karnali’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning, Rajiv Vikram Shah, stated that the lack of electricity line expansion has created uncertainty in opening some industries for which investments have already been secured in Karnali. According to him, even if the disputes are resolved, it is expected to take at least four months to construct towers in the disputed areas.

“We are in Karnali, and the electricity needs to come from Lumbini Province. The dispute is also related to that, and there is no possibility of changing the alignment. Some politicians are instigating the locals,” he said. “Therefore, until there is some agreement between the provinces or the federal ministry does not show any urgency, we have not been able to accomplish anything.”

Source: Kantipur