KATHMANDU: Large parts of Pokhara will face daily power outages of five hours starting today until January 5 due to maintenance work at the Kundahar Substation.
According to the Pokhara Grid Division of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), electricity supply will be disrupted from 6:00 am to 11:00 am for four consecutive days as ‘busbar’ upgrading and maintenance work begins at the Kundahar Substation.
Chief of the Pokhara Distribution Center, Jitendra Yadav, said the maintenance involves repair work on the 132 kV busbar of the substation, for which the NEA had earlier invited tenders.
“As per the contract, repair work has started from today. During this period, all feeders supplied from the Kundahar Grid will be shut down. We have already informed consumers accordingly,” Yadav said.
The Pokhara Distribution Center said electricity will be cut from Bijaypur at the Pokhara entry point up to Harichowk, covering most areas of the city. However, if the maintenance work is completed ahead of schedule, power supply may resume earlier than the announced time. Regular electricity supply will resume once the busbar repair work is completed, the center said.
Meanwhile, Pokhara Metropolitan City has urged internet service providers to cooperate in its plan to make the city’s market areas wire-free.
The metropolitan office has initiated discussions with service providers on the possibility of jointly undergrounding electricity, telephone and internet cables, in line with the NEA’s ongoing project to underground power lines across 23 kilometers of the city.
Mayor Dhanraj Acharya said service providers have been requested to immediately remove unnecessary and disorderly cables currently hanging from electricity poles.
“We have requested internet service providers to support the plan to make Pokhara’s market areas wire-free. The metropolitan city is ready to provide all necessary cooperation for this work,” Mayor Acharya said.
He added that service providers have been given one month to remove the cables, warning that the metropolitan city will remove them on its own if companies fail to comply. A technical committee has also been instructed to manage the process.
Under the NEA’s electricity system strengthening project, underground cabling work is currently underway from Pokhara International Airport to Prithvi Chowk, Srijanachowk, Ratnachowk, Rastra Bank Chowk, Shahid Chowk, Lakeside, Hallanchowk and up to Zero Kilometer via Bulaundi.
The project aims to complete underground cabling across the 23-kilometer stretch by July. According to Anand Subedi, project chief of the NEA’s Pokhara–Bharatpur Distribution System Strengthening Project, around 60 percent of the work has already been completed.
The underground cabling targets major urban areas and tourist hubs of Pokhara. After laying cables underground, the NEA is also extending electricity connections directly to consumers’ homes.
Subedi said the authority is using the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technique to minimize road damage while laying underground cables. Transformers are being installed at various locations to ensure smooth electricity distribution to households.
Officials believe the project will not only free Pokhara from disorderly wires and poles but also significantly enhance the city’s urban aesthetics.
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