A brighter Baitadi: Electricity now flows to 27,000 households

By Gokarna Dayal, Baitadi, Nov. 26: With the power supply to 7,000 households in 19 wards of five local levels in the district that were without electricity, the number of households in the district that were able to use electricity has reached 27,091.

Janardan Poudel, engineer at the distribution center, said that the Baitadi Electricity Distribution Center has implemented the programs in the last fiscal year of connecting electricity in some wards of the Pancheshwor Rural Municipality, Shivnath, Dilasaini, Dogadakedar Surnaya, and Sigas Rural Municipality.

He said, "I am working relentlessly in the village. I am transferring from Baitadi after providing electricity to 1,787 households. People have praised and thanked the Chief of Office for his personal dedication and work towards achieving the government's goal of complete electrification of Baitadi within the next two years."

There are a total of 49,428 households in the six rural municipalities and four municipalities of the district. Electricity is yet to reach 22,000 households in the district

Madhav Prasad Lekhak, Information Officer at the Baitadi Electricity Distribution Center, said that the construction of 33 kV substations in Bindraban, Sigas, and Sillegada, Dogadakedar, to electrify these households has reached the final stage.

He said that the goal is to fully electrify Baitadi district within the next one year.

In Baitadi, electricity reached the Baitadi district headquarters from India in 1985 (2042 BS) through an 11 kV transmission line.

Then, in 1990 (2047 BS), 200 kilowatts of electricity were generated from the Surnayagad small hydroelectric power plant in Patan, Baitadi, which has now shut down.

There is a statistics of connection of 33 kv National transmission line in the year 1999.

After the completion of the 40-megawatt Upper Chameliya Hydropower Project, A total of 96.5 megawatts of electricity has been generated on the Chameliya River, where Chameliya generates 30 megawatts of power, Upper Chameliya 40 megawatts, 10 megawatts from Makrigad, 8.5 megawatts from Naugad, and 8 megawatts from Upper Apargad.

After 53.79 megawatts of electricity generated from the Kalanga River in Bajhang was also connected to the Chameliya grid, 150 megawatts of electricity over the Baitadi sky has been connected to the national transmission line.

Although the local level has tried to provide electricity through the consumer committee for the past five years, they are now seeking help from the Baitadi Electricity Distribution Center after the lights failed to turn on due to substandard work.

After the contractor ran away when Pancheshwor Rural Municipality tried to expand electricity through a contract, electricity is now available in four wards, including in the rural municipality, thanks to the initiative of the distribution center.