Pancheshwar statuette likely to be finalised today

KATHMANDU:

Talks between high-ranking government officials of Nepal and India on development of 5,600MW Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project wrapped up today with both sides agreeing to finalise the statuette of the Pancheshwar Development Authority by tomorrow.

“Considering the developments of today, we may be able to finalise the statuette by tomorrow,” a high-ranking official of Ministry of Energy said, without providing details. “Both sides have agreed not to disclose information on the matter.”

The formulation of the statuette will pave the way to establish the authority, which will oversee implementation of the Pancheshwar Project.

Earlier during Indian Premier Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal, both the countries had agreed to set up the authority within six months.

The first meeting of the governing board of the project, which began in Kathmandu today, will continue till tomorrow. Energy Secretary Rajendra Kishore Kshatri is leading the Nepali delegation, while Alok Rawat, secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, is heading the Indian side.

During the meeting, discussions on preparing the detailed project report (DPR) were also held, the official said.

When Modi visited the country in the first week of August, both the sides had agreed to finalise the DPR on Pancheshwar and begin implementation of the project within a year.

“Both the sides have conducted detailed studies on the project in the past. All we need to do is iron out differences and ensure the information is up to date,” Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Keshav Dhoj Adhikari had earlier told The Himalayan Times. “Considering this, we might be able to finalise the DPR within six to eight months.”

The last meeting dedicated to development of Pancheshwar Project was held in 2004. After that, terms of reference on the project were initialled at the secretary-level during Nepal-India joint committee meet on water resources held in 2009. The terms of reference were finally endorsed by both countries during Modi’s visit to Nepal.

Source: THT