Baglung. The central transmission line has been expanded in the rural areas of Hareka Baglung on the basis of micro-hydropower. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Baglung branch has extended the central transmission line to 2,120 households this year in the last one year. The central line has been extended to the areas where electricity has been used through the Lugh Hydropower Project for years.

NeA Chief Pawan Poudel said the central transmission line has already been extended in the area around the district headquarters and works are currently underway in Dhorpatan municipality, Nisikhola, Tamankhola and Badigad rural municipalities of west Baglung. According to him, 37,416 customers have increased in the last one year due to the expansion of the central line to more than 2,000 houses.

According to Poudel, the structure of 35 km 11 KV and 49 km 0.4 KV line has been constructed at a cost of Rs 159.252 million. According to Poudel, transforms have been installed at 37 places in the last one year. According to him, only 29.9 per cent of the households in the district have access to electricity so far.

“We have been expanding the line from Baglung distribution center by focusing on West Baglung since last year, this year we have been successful in lighting lights in some places of Dhorpatan and Badigad, the line expansion has been done in many places,” poudel said. ’

Locals in rural areas are happy with the expansion of the central line. Kul Bahadur Chhetri of Badigad Rural Municipality-9 said that after the installation of the central line, the compulsion of staying in the dark for months has been removed due to the breakdown of micro-hydropower. He said that after the installation of the central line, the line goes many times during the rainy season. Chhetri complained that for the last one month, he used to go to the line for two to five hours daily.

So far, most of the settlements in Baglung have access to central and micro-hydropower lines. However, Nisseldhore of Nisikhola Rural Municipality-5 is in darkness. Dev Bahadur BK, a local, said that the entire village was forced to live in darkness due to the neglect of the state. He complained that in the absence of a line in the village, one has to walk for hours to reach Dhorpatan to charge normal mobile phones. Although more than 98 micro hydropower projects are in operation across the district, the line has not been reached at Niseldhar.