Gandaki Province
Locals of Sherabesi demand to not build transmission line through residential area
There are around 150 houses and a secondary school in the area that will be affected if the transmission line is to cut through the settlement, say locals.Agandhar Tiwari
The locals of Sherabesi in Parbat district have demanded that the government relocate the construction site of a high tension line under the New Modi Lekhnath Transmission Line Project that passes through a residential area.
They say the high tension line is being constructed over their homes against the detailed survey conducted earlier.
“The high tension line was supposed to be constructed through Dangdange forest area, 400 metres away from the settlement. But the project workers are building the line through the settlement,” said Tulak Bahadur Adhikari, a Sherabesi local.
Around 150 households could be affected if the transmission line is built at its current site.
The power line also passes overs Nabajyoti Thama Secondary School where 250 local children study.
“The transmission line has put the school children in danger,” said Mina Kumar Gurung, principal at the school. “We have concerned guardians coming to us asking us to move the school. But where will we move?”
The Nepal Electricity Authority has been constructing a 132 KV transmission line to connect electricity generated by Madikhola Hydropower and other projects in the area to the national grid.
“We have already presented our concern before the energy minister and the managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority. National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina has also said that our demand will be addressed. The higher authorities have instructed the project and the contractor to address the people’s grievances, but the contractor is reluctant to follow the instructions,” said Adhikari.
According to the locals, the local municipal government, the District Administration Office and the Energy Ministry have also not responded to their request to relocate the high tension line.
“We can’t risk our lives living close to the high tension line” said Chitra Kumari Paudel, another local.
The project contractor started building the transmission line through the settlement stating that they could not build the power line through the forest since there is no road access in the forest area.
Roshan Agrawal, chief of the project, said that the transmission line would not affect the settlement and the school.
“We will provide suitable compensation for houses and land that fall under the transmission line,” Agrawal added.
But compensation is not what the locals are after, Paudel said.
“We want the transmission line to be built at a safe distance, away from our homes.”