By Gokarna Dayal, Baitadi, Mar.18: "There is a 30-megawatt Chameliya hydropower plant near the rural municipality, but the villagers have to walk a long way to Gokuleshwor Bazaar to charge a mobile phone as there is no electricity in the village." This statement was made by Ashish Mal, a youth of Dilasaini Rural Municipality-6 of Baitadi district.

He said that the poles brought for the expansion of electricity are stranded, despite the demand for electricity in the village.

Two hundred households of Ne village of Dilasani Rural Municipality, about four kilometers away from Chameliya Khola Hydropower Station, have not been able to consume electricity.

Local Tilak Bahadur Mal said that they have to walk for an hour to reach Devjhadi of Gokuleshwor Bazaar to charge their mobile phones as there is no electricity in the village.

Mal said, “There is a lot of misery in the village due to lack of electricity. Even though there is a hydropower project nearby, we have to lit diya and tuki (the traditional lamps) in the village.”

"Not just to charge the mobile phones but everything that needs electricity for the operation requires a long commute," he added.

The local Ashish Mal has blamed the contractor, whose lack of speedy work has left the electricity poles unattended despite the allocation of the budget and releasing tender apprenticeship to supply the electricity to the village.

Even though, the electricity of the 30 megawatts Chameliya Khola Hydropower Project at Balanch on the Baitadi-Darchula border has been connected to the national transmission line, 30,000 households in Baitadi have not received electricity.

According to Power Distribution Centre of the Nepal Electricity Authority, Baitadi, of the 45,000 households in Baitadi, only 15,000 households have received electricity so far.

Electricity has not yet reached the Purchaudi and Chwangadh areas of Baitadi,which have a population of more than 80,000. Similarly, electricity has not reached the Talloswarad area of Baitadi with an average population of one lakh.

In Baitadi, electricity was first supplied to the district headquarters from India in 1986 through an 11 KV transmission line. After that, in 1991, 200 kilowatts of electricity were generated from Surnayagad small hydropower plant in Patan of Baitadi. In 2000, 33 KV national transmission line was connected.

Currently, after the construction of 8 megawatts Api hydropower and 30-megawatt Chameliya Khola Hydropower Project, electricity passes from the sky of Baitadi district, but 30,000 households in Baitadi are still in darkness.