Construction of the transmission line under the Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV Transmission Line Project, from Udipur substation in Lamjung to the new Bharatpur substation at Aaptari in Chitwan via Markichok in Tanahun, has gained momentum.

Private sector hydropower projects constructed and under construction in the Marsyangdi, Dordi, and Trishuli rivers and their tributaries have taken over sub-contracts for the Udipur-Markichok-Bharatpur transmission line section and are moving forward with construction. Work is underway to complete this section by the upcoming Jestha (mid-May).

After the Chinese company Pingao Group of Companies, which had been awarded the contract for the Udipur-Markichok-Bharatpur transmission line section, failed to ensure timely completion of the work through the selected sub-contractors, private sector hydropower projects have taken over the sub-contracts and moved forward with construction. A total of 14 hydropower projects, including 7 that are already in operation and 7 under construction, in the Marsyangdi, Dordi, and Trishuli rivers and their tributaries, are participating in this. The electricity generated by these hydropower projects during the rainy season can only be fully fed into the national grid after the completion and operation of the Udipur-Markichok-Bharatpur transmission line section.

Kulman Ghising, Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, on Tuesday inspected the transmission line under construction in Tanahun and Chitwan and stated that the organization would provide all necessary assistance and facilitation to complete the work by the upcoming Jestha.

Managing Director Ghising directed the contractors to add manpower and complete the construction, stating that the Udipur-Markichok-Bharatpur transmission line section is crucial for the transmission of electricity generated during the rainy season in the Marsyangdi, Dordi, and Trishuli rivers and their tributaries.

He instructed the project management to resolve issues related to the use of forest land, felling of trees, land acquisition, and right-of-way and provide construction sites. He called the chiefs of the Division Forest Offices in Chitwan and Tanahun and requested them to provide necessary assistance to expedite the construction of this important transmission line by facilitating the approval process for the use of forest land and trees cutting.