TIKAPUR, Oct 12: The under-construction 6-lane road in Tikapur has been affected by the Nepal Electricity Authority’s (NEA) 33 KV transmission line. The construction has been affected as the authority has delayed shifting the poles of the transmission line.

There are 14 poles of the 33 KV transmission line in the areas where 6-lane road is being constructed from Jamara Bridge to Buspark of Tikapur. Of which, 7 are towers and 7 are tubular poles, according to Chotelal Yadav, a staffer at NEA Tikapur.

The poles were installed 35 years ago. The roads were wide and the settlements were sparse at that time, because of which the 33 KV transmission line was built in the area. Currently, the settlement has grown dense, and the transmission line now lies in the middle of the market area.

A 2.3-kilometer-long 6-lane road is being constructed from Jamara Bridge to Buspark of Tikapur Municipality with an investment of Rs 200 million from the federal government. The construction of the road has been tasked to contractor Raman KS JV. Now the work of adding soil and flattening the road is going on.

The construction company has said that delay in shifting the transmission line has been causing the delay in road works. Gagan Shahi, an engineer at the company, said that their request to the NEA regarding the shifting of the poles from the road has not been heeded. 

“We submitted letters to the authority twice, and met with the officials several times. But the authority has not shown any interest yet,” he said, “It is hard for us to carry out our work.”

He stated that the central office of the NEA has been informed about the problem. He added that the work that was supposed to be completed within two years will be delayed due to the reason.

The Federal Project Implementation Unit (FPIU), Kailali, has also asked the NEA to relocate the transmission line. Trilok Joshi, site in-charge and engineer at the FPIU, said a letter was sent to the NEA central office after the local office showed no interest.

“We have asked the details with expenses,” he said. “They are delaying the reply.” He also said that the construction work was facing problems because the transmission lines have not been shifted. There are risks while constructing the road, he said.

However, Himansu Yadav, chief of NEA at Tikapur, said that no written information has been received regarding this issue. He said some people asked about it on the phone and he answered on the phone.

“Some people had asked me on the phone and I have already answered through phone,” he said, “How to shift the lines? And to where? And we have not received any official instruction.” He said if the concerned agencies came forward with a plan, the authority was ready to cooperate.

 
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