Locals suspect Pancheshwar Project will be built in their lifetime

By Our Correspondent,Dadheldhura, Sept,1: The Pancheshwar Multi-Purpose Project is one of several primary issues that becomes the talk of province in Sudurpaschim during the visit of Nepal's Prime Minister, Ministers and other high-level delegations to India, as well as at the times of elections. 

The project was conceived with a plan to build a multi-purpose project from electricity to irrigation and water supply by building a large dam on the Mahakali River that flows along the Nepal-India border. Leaders have been saying that hundreds of thousands of Nepalis will get jobs if the project is implemented, and the country's economy will also be strengthened. 

However, the work has not progressed. On the contrary, it has been three decades since the work that was taken up initially stopped.

Some equipment for measuring earthquakes were installed in Dadeldhura district headquarters, Khalanga around 1983-1984. 

A shed was built with the use of concrete, wood and zinc sheets, which housed earthquake measuring equipment which remained there for about 10-12 years. An assistant staff was appointed to send the information generated by the equipment to the Pancheshwar Project Office. But those devices were removed in 1995. After the removal of the installed equipment, it can be assumed that the Pancheshwar Project will not be built, concerned people in Sudurpaschim said.

It has been 29 years since the earthquake measuring equipment installed in Dadeldhura were removed. However, senior leaders, including prime ministers, have been talking about coordinating with India to construct the project. 

When the West Seti Hydropower Project, which has already been agreed upon twice to develop has not been built, the residents of Sudurpaschim Province and the ordinary Nepali citizens are disappointed and don't believe that the Pancheshwar would be built.

Dadeldhura's Inner Tarai area Jogbuda and district headquarters Khalanga had small earthquake measuring equipment. Ganesh Kathayat, assistant employee at the office, said that the equipment was also installed in Patan of Baitadi. "We had to change the paper daily and the printed papers needed to be submitted to the office in Pancheshwar. We used to get the salary from the same office," he said. 

Kathayat, a resident of Lower Khalanga in Amargadhi Municipality, said that he worked at the office for about five to six years. His brother-in-law also used to work at the office before him. "After the seismograph broke down in 1995, it was sent to Kathmandu. But the damaged equipment was not returned to the office. As a result, my job was also terminated," said Kathayat. 

The seismic centre installed in Khalanga was later shifted to a jungle nearby. The centre is in dilapidated condition.