Around 700 utility poles have been installed in Chandrapur, Brindaban and Gujara municipalities in the last five months. But the process of installing wires is yet to start. The concerned authority has left the work in limbo, much to the locals’ dismay.

Madan Thakur, a resident of Chandrapur, said the locals have been demanding the Chandrapur branch of the Nepal Electricity Authority to install electric wires on the poles, but have received no response so far.

“We have been frequenting the office for the last month demanding electricity supply. But the chief at the branch office sends us away citing budget shortage,” Thakur said.

Locals have also lodged a complaint at the hotline of the Nepal Electricity Authority against the chief of the branch. But Ramaayodhya Yadav, chief at the branch office, said that his office doesn’t have sufficient budget to complete the installation process.

“The wires lie unused at the substation in Chandranighapur. We don’t have enough budget to start installing wires on the poles,” said Yadav, adding that he has notified the higher authority about the problem. According to him, the branch office will fix wires on the poles after the centre provides them with a budget.

Dev Prasad Timalsina, a Nepali Congress lawmaker, said that he had talked with Kulman Ghising, the managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority, about the problem. Timalsina, along with the locals, recently visited the branch office to put forth their demands.

“The chief of the branch office has given us a positive response,” he said.