Prime Minister Sushila Karki has stated that the government is committed to fast-tracking the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project. She mentioned that a company has already been established for the construction of the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project, and necessary procedures will also be initiated to ensure that the revenue from the additional tax imposed on petroleum products is allocated to the project’s account each year.

She has also instructed the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance to expedite the related procedures. On this matter, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Karki held discussions with former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, some former representatives from the project-affected areas of Gorkha and Dhading, as well as local stakeholders.

In that context, former Prime Minister Bhattarai expressed his appreciation for the government’s promptness in advancing the Budhigandaki Project and suggested that, instead of limiting it to a hydropower project, it should be developed as a multipurpose project with a separate authority established for its management.

The discussion was also attended by Finance Minister Rameshwar Khanal and other officials from the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office.

The cost of this 1,200-megawatt hydropower project was estimated at NPR 255 billion in 2022. It is now projected to exceed NPR 400 billion.

The Government of Nepal has acquired the land and has already provided compensation of NPR 4.2 billion to the local landowners. Located between major cities such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan, the construction of this project is estimated to take at least eight years to complete.

Kantipur