By Prakash Chandra Bhattarai, Damauli, Oct. 28: Holiday during the biggest festival of Nepali Hindus, Bada Dashain, couldn't halt the construction work of Tanahun Hydroelectricity Project.

Achyut Ghimire, project chief, said that no disturbances took place in the construction process despite the Dashain festival. "Although the Nepali workers were on leave, the Chinese workers were giving continuity to the construction," he added.

Some 200 Nepali and 50 Chinese workers have been deployed in the construction site by Sino Hydro, a Chinese Company that had received the deal to construct the second package of the project.

"During Dashain, the Chinese labourers installed various equipment in the powerhouse," said Ghimire. He added that all the Nepali workers who are on leave during Dashain would return after Kojagrat Purnima and they would be mobilised in the site only after getting their Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test done.

Under the second phase of the construction, Sino Hydro will be constructing a tunnel, underground powerhouse and install various hydro and electromechanical equipment.

Likewise, construction of the transmission line of the project in Rhising Ruram Municipality-1, Jhaputar is also underway. An agreement has been done with KEC, an Indian company, for the construction transmission line with 200 KV double circuit ranging from Damauli to Bharatpur of Chitwan.  

Of the total 94 towers to be constructed for the transmission line, the project has targeted to construct the first 30 towers within the ongoing fiscal year. The construction of the transmission line is anticipated to complete by March 2022.

The Tanahun Hydroelectricity Project with a total of 140 MW capacity is being constructed under three packages. The first package includes the construction of a 140-meter high dam, the second package is for construction of tunnel and powerhouse and the third package includes the construction of transmission line.

The project has recently issued procurement notice for the construction works under the first phase. The total budget for the construction of the Tanahun hydel is 505 Million USD.