JUMLA: Electrical equipment worth crores of rupees has been abandoned at the Tila Micro Hydropower Project in Tila Rural Municipality-2 in Nepal’s western Jumla district.
Various electricity-generating equipment has been left on the roadside due to the prolonged closure of the hydropower project. Locals say that the equipment, purchased at a cost of lakhs of rupees, has become useless following the project’s closure.
The project was originally built to expand electricity access to remote areas of the district. The electrical equipment, procured by the rural municipality for the project under construction in 2074 BS with investment from the Infrastructure Development Fund, now lies abandoned as the project remains completely inactive.
“The equipment was purchased on the initiative of the people’s representatives elected in the 2074 BS local elections. We brought the goods to the rural municipality after being elected. During the tenure of the previous representatives, only a partial payment had been made as an advance,” said Motilal Rokaya, chairman of Tila Rural Municipality.
The project was launched under the joint initiative of Tila Rural Municipality and then-MP Gajendra Bahadur Mahat, with a budget of Rs 110 million from the Infrastructure Development Fund. It aimed to generate one megawatt of electricity from the Tila River in Tila-7. With the hydropower project and its equipment lying idle, locals are now urging authorities to resume its operations immediately.
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