Powerlines sans electricity in Kalikot

By Our Correspondent,Kalikot, May 24: Although power line has been extended to electrify the rural areas of Kalikot, electricity has not yet been supplied. 

The electrification has been delayed due to lack of work as per the desired pace even though Kalikot Distribution Centre of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has set the target of supplying electricity to all the nine local levels of the district.

The Nepal Electricity Authority has said that the work was being advanced according to the plan to have sub-stations at five places in Kalikot. 

Jaya Prasad Pandey, technician of Kalikot Distribution Centre, said that the work of electricity line extension was going on in Palanta and Pachaljharna.

He said that now the work of construction of sub-station in Raskot and Nagma was going on and in other places line maintenance, expansion and pole erecting work was going on.

He said that sub-stations would be constructed at five places, including district headquarters Manma, Raskot, Nagma, Thirpu of Palata Rural Municipality and Dhanda of Tilagufa Municipality of Kalikot. 

Although it has been more than five years since the extension of the line in Pachaljharna and Palanta Rural Municipality, electricity has not been supplied yet.

The Centre said that there was a plan to connect the electricity transmission line along with the construction of the sub-station as there was no electricity in other places where the line had been extended. 

In the year 2078 B.S., the national grid reached Kalikot, but electricity could not supply in the villages. 

Through the national grid, electricity which has been started providing electricity in Raskot Municipality, Sannitriveni Rural Municipality and Manma, district headquarters only, had reached Narharinath Rural Municipality-1, Tilagufa Municipality-6 and some settlements within Shubhakalika Rural Municipality since last year.

But if the electricity was not supplied regularly, it is not sure that it would get regular electricity in other settlements. 

Locals said that there was no likelihood that electricity would be supplied to the people of the area who only extended the line when they were not able to provide regular electricity to the area. 

Former chairman of Palanta Rural Municipality Laxman Bahadur Bam said that instead of the national grid, the local government should repair the dilapidated small scale hydropower projects in the villages.

Stating that many electricity power houses were in dilapidated in the village, he expressed his belief that if they were repaired, the citizens would get electricity soon. 

"Now, electricity lines have been extended at almost all local levels. But electricity is not supplied. In some places, the local government is also expanding the line in partnership. But there is a danger that even the extended lines will become derelict," he said.

Krishna Bahadur Bam of Pachaljharna Rural Municipality-7 said that if the electricity was not supplied on time, there was a concern that even the stretched lines would become unusable.