Work on Package-3 of the 140-megawatt Tanahun Hydropower Project, which had been affected for a long time, has resumed.

Project Chief Shyamji Bhandari informed that the project officials and the contractor jointly visited the transmission line construction area and initiated efforts to resolve issues related to land acquisition and the use of forest areas.

Bhandari said that the project has been holding necessary consultations, coordination, and facilitation with the concerned authorities to use forest land and remove trees and vegetation in the area. The construction of the transmission line had been affected due to the lack of approval for the use of forest land and the removal of trees.

The meeting decided to issue a new public notice calling on landowners who are willing to sell their private land for registration under the name of the Government of Nepal. The land will be used to provide replacement land for the construction of the transmission line in Chitwan district. The land should be adjacent to the national forest, located as far as possible within a similar geographical and ecological area, have terrain suitable for forest development, and be consolidated in one location with connected plots.

The meeting decided to issue a new public notice calling on landowners who are willing to sell their private land for registration under the name of the Government of Nepal. The land will be used to provide replacement land for the construction of the transmission line in Chitwan district. The land should be adjacent to the national forest, located as far as possible within a similar geographical and ecological area, have terrain suitable for forest development, and be consolidated in one location with connected plots.

Construction of the transmission line has progressed by 74% so far. Out of the 94 towers along the line, the foundations for 78 towers have been completed, and 69 towers have been installed. Foundations for 22 towers have been secured, and work is ongoing at two locations, Bhandari said.

KEC International, India, is constructing a 36-kilometer, 220 kV double-circuit transmission line from Damauli to Bharatpur in Chitwan. Although the construction work was originally targeted to be completed by May 2022, the contract period was extended due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the late approval from the Ministry of Forests for tree removal in forest areas.

A total of 59 plots, measuring 923 ropani and five aana, will be acquired for the construction of the transmission line. The project has stated that the land will be acquired from the following areas in Tanahun: Vyas Municipality-13 and 14, Bandipur Rural Municipality-6, Aambukhaireni Rural Municipality-6, and Devghat Rural Municipality-4 and 5.

Ratopati