Kathmandu. Prime Minister Sushila Karki has said the government was vigorously working to expedite the construction of Budhigandaki Hydropower Project.

According to him, the company has already been established for the construction of Budhigandaki Hydropower Project and necessary process will be forwarded for the arrangement of the additional tax amount levied on petroleum products to be deposited in the account every year.

She also directed the Energy and Finance Ministries to expedite the process in this regard.

In this regard, Prime Minister Karki held discussions with former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and some former people’s representatives of Gorkha and Dhading districts and local stakeholders in this regard.

On the occasion, former Prime Minister Bhattarai expressed happiness over the government’s eagerness to forward the Budhigandaki project and suggested the formation of a separate authority to develop it as a multipurpose project instead of limiting it only to electricity project.

The estimated cost of the 1,200 MW hydropower project was Rs 255 billion in 2012. Now the cost is estimated to be more than Rs 4 trillion.

The government has already paid Rs 42 billion in compensation to local landowners by acquiring the land.

It is estimated that it will take at least 8 years to complete the project which lies between big cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan.