CHITWAN: Underground electrification in the Bharatpur Metropolitan City (BMC) area has reached 80 percent completion. The project had aimed to finish the work by mid-March next year, and progress so far remains on track.
The Nepal Electricity Authority’s Pokhara–Bharatpur Distribution System Strengthening Project is implementing the underground electrification along the six-lane road and the bypass in Bharatpur.
According to Project Chief Engineer Ananda Subedi, test transmission has already begun in areas where underground installation has been completed. He said that electricity is currently being supplied through underground lines in about 40 percent of the project area.
“We are moving ahead to complete the work by the end of this month or mid-March,” Subedi said. Ongoing tasks include laying cables, connecting terminations, installing service cables to households, and constructing transformer posts.
He added that the goal is to fully provide underground electricity service within the next three months. However, even after underground transmission begins, the existing utility poles will remain for some time. Although the overhead wires will no longer carry electricity, they will only be removed after assessing whether supply capacity can be maintained during the summer season.
Originally, only the 33 kVA line from the Central Bus Terminal to Gondrang was planned for underground installation. However, Chief Engineer Subedi noted that additional 11 kVA and 400-volt lines are now also being placed underground.
Under the latest agreement, underground electrification has been extended across the core urban area of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, including the installation of the Chanauli line.
The total project cost for underground electrification within Bharatpur Metropolitan City has reached Rs 1.4 billion. Initially, Rs 1.3 billion had been allocated, but an additional Rs 100 million was added as the project scope expanded.
The construction contract was awarded to Tata Projects Limited of India, with work beginning after the agreement was signed in October 2021. The project deadline—originally set for January 20, 2024—has been extended multiple times and now runs until July 2026. The project is being implemented with support from the Asian Development Bank.
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