Meet to okay statute of Pancheshwor
KATHMANDU, SEP 21 -
A meeting of the Pancheshwor Development Authority scheduled for September 22-23 is likely to finalise the authority’s statute.
The Ministry of Energy (MoE) said officials from Nepal and India will look for ways to take forward the Pancheswor Multipurpose Project at the earliest by finalising the statute. “Once statute is finalised, it will allow the authority to form an executive body for starting the much-delayed project,” said Energy Secretary Rajendra Kishore Kshatri.
Kshatri will lead the Nepali side, while the Indian side will be led by the secretary of the Indian Ministry of Water Resource and River Development at the meeting. The Indian team is set to arrive in Kathmandu on Sunday for the meeting. “The meeting will discuss various issues, from endorsing the statute, appointment of officials, including chief executive officer, to the operation guideline of the authority headquarters,” said Keshav Dhowj Adhikari, joint secretary and spokesperson for MoE.
Nepal and India signed an agreement for the development of the project in February 1996 during the signing of the Mahakli Treaty. However, almost no progress has been made so far. The project that is based in Mahakali Zone, covering some parts of Darchula, Baitadi and Dadeldhura districts, got a new lease of life after the two countries exchanged notes on the authority’s terms of reference (ToR) during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Nepal visit in the first week of August.
MoE officials said a secretary-level Joint Commission on Water Resources (JCWR) meeting in Pokhara in November 2009 had prepared the ToR. However, things could not move ahead since the two countries could not come to a conclusion on some of the ToR clauses. While the Nepali side had formally endorsed the TOR within two months after the meeting, the Indian side had expressed reservations over clauses 17 and 18, said the officials.
Nepal and India have already agreed setting up the authority’s headquarter in Mahendranagar. They have also agreed the chief executive will be chosen on the basis of the candidate’s qualification, relevant experience and track record. The chief will also play the role of member secretary of the governing body, which comprises of six permanent members and invitational members from both the nations.
Once the authority starts functioning, it will prepare an integrated detailed project report.
Final PTA may take some time
Although Nepal and India have initialled the Power Trade Agreement (PTA) document, the final agreement is likely to take some time. “The Indian Cabinet is yet to endorse the initialled PTA draft,” said Keshav Dhowj Adhikri, joint secretary and spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy (MoE). “Things will move ahead as soon as the Indian Cabinet endorses it.” The Nepali cabinet endorsed the draft last Thursday. The much-talked-about deal enables the countries to develop transmission interconnections, grid connectivity, power exchange and trading through governmental, and their public and private enterprises on mutually acceptable terms. The agreed document titled “Electric Power Trade, Cross-Border Transmission Interconnection and Grid Connectivity”, is the draft prepared by a cross-party political panel of Nepal.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
