The first phase of construction of 220kV Khimti-Dhalkebar electricity transmission line was completed on Tuesday.

Project head Shyam Kumar Yadav said the construction of the second phase too would conclude soon.

The transmission line will operate at 132kV capacity for the time being as construction of a 220kV substation in Dhalkebhar has yet to be completed.

The project is making rapid progress after the government deployed Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) personnel to prevent locals of Sindhuli and Ramechhap from obstructing works raising issues related to land compensation.

The project has offered compensation for 15-metre land on the either side of the transmission line, but the locals had demanded compensation for 500 metres.

Locals of Sindhuli alone had demanded Rs100 million in compensation for 3.6 hectares of land that lies on the path of the transmission line.

Ten months ago, the Ministry of Home Affairs had written to the District Administration Office (DAO) Ramechhap to provide security for the project.

The transmission line project, whose construction started in 2004-05, is still incomplete. Complications related to just eight towers delayed the project for such a long time. Of the 188 towers, construction of 180 had already been completed.

However, the delay in erecting the remaining eight towers on the 3.5-km stretch was holding up the entire project.

As per the original plan, project should have been completed by 2009. The deadline, according to the project, had to be extended five times.

According to Sunil Kumar Mahato, deputy manager of the project, construction of second phase will be completed within the current fiscal year.

DAO Ramechhap said four teams of workers have been deployed to make sure the project completes within the deadline.

The project is being developed at an investment of Rs200 million by the World Bank (WB). The construction agreement was held in 2002 and a tender notice for the project was issued in 2006.

Fed up with the demand of locals, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) had asked WB to take an exit from the project, in December 2014, so that

they could apply own measures to conclude the construction of the 75km transmission line.

Use of security personnel to guard the project was averted for a long time as WB’s guideline had compelled NEA to stay away from taking firmer measures to push the project ahead.