The report said 40 percent of civil works have also been completed. [break]
The project aims to complete 50 percent of construction work within this month. The project located in Lamabagar of Dolakha district is being constructed with loans from Nepal Telecom, Employees Provident Fund, Rastriya Beema Sansthan and Citizens´ Investment Trust, among others. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 35.29 billion.
The promoters plan to complete the project in the next three phases. Sino Hydro, the contractor selected for the civil works has also expedited work.
According to Acting Executive Director of the project Bigyan Prasad Shrestha, the construction of entry tunnel has been already completed and the contractor has started construction of the powerhouse. “After completion of the tunnel, the contractor has started building the main power house now,” Shrestha said. He informed 500-600m tunnel is being dug out every month.
According to engineer Bimal Gurung, of the total 15 kilometer tunnel that would be required for the project, construction of 5.4 km tunnel has already been completed. “Last month alone, the 656 meter tunnel had been dug out. If the contractor maintains the same pace, we will complete the project within the stipulated time, “said Gurung.
Gurung also informed that they did not face difficulties in digging the tunnel. Similarly, Indian contractor Texmaco Rail and Engineering has been selected for the second phase hydro mechanical works. The contractor is expected to start work in the next few months.
An agreement has already been signed with an Austrian company for carrying out electromechanical works of the project. The construction of the access road from Charikot to Lama Bagar has also progressed as expected as there was no landslide in the area this year. The project aims to start generating electricity by 2014.
Investor satisfied
The Citizen Investment Trust (CIT), the biggest investor in the project, has expressed satisfaction with the progress in the project work. A team led by the CIT administrator Keshav Acharya after returning from the project site has expressed satisfaction at the progress in construction works of the project.
Speaking at a press meet in the capital, Acharya said, “This is the fourth time we inspected the project. We are elated to see the progress and we are assured that the project would complete on time,” he said.
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