By Rasuwa Correspondent, Rasuwa, March 6: The work of connecting the equipment on the under construction 111 megawatt capacity Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project (RGHEP) located at Timure, Gosaikunda Rural Municipality, has come on standstill because of lack of manpower.

The work of connecting power generation equipment has come on standstill because mechanical workers that were deployed by Voith India, the electrical company that has undertaken the contract and is in charge of connection have left the country on March 21, 2020.

Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project said that project has repeatedly called over the company to complete the equipment connection but it has turned a deaf ears.

The project was started in 2014 aiming to produce the 111 megawatt capacity power generation. The 4,185 meters long tunnel was dug on August 21, 2019 but the project is yet to come into life and to generate electricity in stipulated time because of delay in equipment connection.

Although 95 per cent of the equipment, including three fancy turbines with a flow capacity of 80 cubic meters per second, has reached the project site, Voith India has been delaying it owing to COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite arranging all safety precautions and mobilizing workers midst the pandemic times and also speeding up the work from Chinese contractor CWE, which is constructing other structures including the ring, the cost of the project has given up because of the irresponsibility of the Voith India impeded the equipment connection work.

Stating that the latest work schedule has been prepared to generate electricity by end of Jestha 2079 BS, Chhabi Gaire, chief of the project said that they are repeatedly asking Voith Company to send manpower at the earliest.

 It is estimated that it will take one year to connect the equipment of the power house.

Chief of the project, Gaire said that the 85 percent of the work is completion on the project which is being constructed at a cost of Rs. 13.65 billion excluding interest under the loan assistance of the Employees Provident Fund

Tej Saud, an environmentalist, said that the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project would be sustainable and reliable in terms of environment due to its underground structure. There are 30 technicians and 430 workers working in the construction.