Lawmakers from Gorkha, Dhading draw PM’s attention on Budhigandaki

KATHMANDU: Lawmakers representing Gorkha and Dhading districts have pressed the government to ensure the timely construction of the Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project.

Four members of the House of Representatives – Rajendra Bajgain, Ram Nath Adhikari, Bina Lama, and Buddhi Man Tamang – and National Assembly members Kiran Babu Shrestha and Kamala Pant met Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at his office on Tuesday and demanded that the construction should be started at the earliest.

During the meeting, the lawmakers said that the government should show serious interest in ensuring the construction of the project, the resettlement of the local people who will be displaced by the project, and the building of roads and other infrastructure in the project-affected areas.

In response, Prime Minister Dahal assured the lawmakers that the project would be built.

According to the detailed project report (DPR) prepared by the French consultant Tractebel Engineering in 2014, the project will displace around 50,000 people.

The project involves the construction of a 263-meter double-arch dam, underground waterways, an open-air power plant, and 400 kV transmission lines. The dam will create a reservoir spread over 49.8 sq km.