Myagdi. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has distributed more than Rs 30 million compensation to the owners of the 132 KV Dandakhet-Rahughat transmission line whose towers were constructed.

According to the price fixed by the sub-committee formed under the leadership of the District Administration Office, the compensation amount of Rs 32.9 million 64 thousand 567 has been distributed to the owners of the land where the towers were constructed.

Administrative Officer of the project, Matrika Timilsina, said that Rs 22.9 million 29 thousand 728 was distributed as compensation. According to him, additional Rs 134,839 has been released on the basis of poor, women÷headed households, Dalitnationalities and differently-abled as per the work procedure of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the project’s loan awarder. ”

Of the total 82 towers along the 25 kilometres transmission line, 40 are in forest area and 42 on private land. So far, 66 people have received compensation while seven are in the process of receiving compensation, said Administrative Officer Timilsina. The sub-committee formed under the leadership of the District Administration Office in 2079 BS had fixed the compensation of Rs 900,000 to 13.5 million per ropani to the owners of the land where the towers are located.

Compensation to landowners under the wire

According to the project, it is in the process of determining the rate to compensate the owners of the land under the transmission line. Individuals owning private land located within nine meters of the right and left from the middle of the transmission line will get compensation.

Preliminary details have been collected that 454 units of land will fall under the transmission line under the transmission line. Similarly, 22 huts under the wire have been identified for the compensation distribution in the first phase. According to the project, the identification of additional physical structures under the wire has been continued. The project had acquired 51 ropani land at Dandakhet of Malika rural municipality-7 and 90 ropanis of land at Rahughat Ambang of Raghuganga rural municipality-3 for the construction of the substation. It has already purchased 504 ropanis of land for Rs 45 million and provided it to the government.

As part of the corporate social responsibility, 15 drivers have been imparted training while 15 persons have been imparted training on house wiring and two each of 19 community forests have been imparted training on non-timber forest products.

As per the demand of the community forest users’ groups, the project has distributed the necessary materials to the students and 18 community schools of the affected areas. The materials were distributed to temples, mothers’ groups and schools in ward no 7 and 6 of Malika rural municipality, ward 1 and 2 of Mangala rural municipality, Beni municipality 5 and 9 and Raghuganga rural municipality-3. Public awareness hoarding boards have been put up at various places.

Physical progress 78 percent

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The Dandakhet-Rahughat transmission line project has achieved 78 per cent physical progress so far. The project has been implemented to connect the electricity generated from the hydropower projects of Myagdi and Rahughat basin to the central grid.

The contract signing was signed with Larsen and Toubro Limited on December 31, 2021 for the cost of Rs 3.57 billion. The deadline for the first time has expired on July 16, 2026 and the second time has been extended till May 16, 2026.

Project Chief Roshan Agrawal said that the construction of the project has been delayed due to lack of order to cut down trees, poor geography of the construction site, risk of disaster and dispute among the communities at the construction site of the transmission line. According to him, the contractor has expedited the construction work with the target of completing it within the next five months.

As of now, 71 out of 82 double circuit transmission lines with a capacity of 132 KV have been standed. Except for two, the contractor has started work on all the towers. Project engineer Suraj Gurung said that wire dug on 10.5 kilometres stretch has also been completed. Equipment for transmission line and substation has already been imported.

Similarly, 70 per cent progress has been made in Dandakhet substation, 70 per cent in transmission line and 65 per cent in Rahughat substation. LNT project manager Subash Chandra Sharma pledged to complete the project within the deadline by adding workers and equipment. The substation is being constructed in 51 ropanis of land, with 133-33 KV, 30 MVA capacity and AIS equipment. The construction of the office building of 220-132-33 KV and 200 MVA has reached the final stage of installation of equipment at Rahughat substation of GIS technology.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 4.88 billion with the loan of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) of Rs 3.82 billion. The $27 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been extended to $31 million. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has invested in the construction of Rahughat-Dandakhet transmission line through the Electricity Transmission Line Modernization Project (ADB).

Four hydropower projects with a capacity of 172.8 megawatts have started to be constructed in Myagdi River. 35 at Rahughat. Hydropower projects such as 5 MW Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale, 48 MW Upper Rahughat, 21.3 MW Thulokhola and 23.5 MW Upper Thulokhola have started generating power.

The construction of the 40 MW Rahughat Hydropower Project is in the final stage. The Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale and Thulokhola Hydropower Projects built by Tudi Power have installed temporary towers and supplied power to the 220-KV Kaligandaki transmission line.