Security for hydel plants: Cabinet okays Army for hydropower projects
KATHMANDU, JUN 16 -
The government on Wednesday decided to deploy Nepal Army for the security of hydro power projects, including the 900MW Upper Karnali Hydropower Project (UKHP).
The UKHP in Dailekh district has been frequently targeted by the UPCN (Maoist). The party says that the project is against the interests of the local people. This is the first instance of the government deciding to provide tight security to the country’s under-construction hydro power projects that have been facing obstructions from some political parties and locals. “The government took the decision with a view to allowing the hydro power projects to run smoothly. The decision will be implemented immediately,” said Energy Minister Gokarna Bista after a Cabinet meeting. However, the number and the command of the Army team to be deployed are yet to be finalised.
“Details, including the size of the contingent, will depend on the demand and the situation at the project sites,” the minister said. He said the government is ready to deploy the Army in any domestic and joint-venture hydro power projects and guarantee full security. “The government will leave no stone unturned to ensure security to all hydro power projects,” Bista said. On May 22, a group of locals, allegedly Maoist cadres, vandalised and torched all three office buildings of the UKHP. They said that the project was against the welfare of the local people.
The UKHP, being constructed by India’s GMR-led consortium, has been the target of the Maoists earlier too.
Two days ago, Maoist politburo member Dharmendra Bastola had warned that his party was ready to shed blood if the GMR is given the contract for the much-hyped project.
GMR, the Indian joint-venture, has been at the centre of a controversy ever since the Nepali Congress-led coalition government gave its go-ahead to the project in 2008. The Maoists, then a part of the ruling alliance, later went into the opposition in 2009; and it was the first to obstruct the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR).
The Cabinet also decided to appoint Binesh Maharjan as chairman of Patan Mental Hospital, Kamala Dhamachhnag of Nardevi Ayurvedic Hospital, Ganga Prasad Pokharel of Western Region Hospital, Khadga Bahadur Banset of Mahakali Zonal Hospital and Govinda Prasad Timsina of Seti Zonal Hospital.
Source: Kantipur
The government on Wednesday decided to deploy Nepal Army for the security of hydro power projects, including the 900MW Upper Karnali Hydropower Project (UKHP).
The UKHP in Dailekh district has been frequently targeted by the UPCN (Maoist). The party says that the project is against the interests of the local people. This is the first instance of the government deciding to provide tight security to the country’s under-construction hydro power projects that have been facing obstructions from some political parties and locals. “The government took the decision with a view to allowing the hydro power projects to run smoothly. The decision will be implemented immediately,” said Energy Minister Gokarna Bista after a Cabinet meeting. However, the number and the command of the Army team to be deployed are yet to be finalised.
“Details, including the size of the contingent, will depend on the demand and the situation at the project sites,” the minister said. He said the government is ready to deploy the Army in any domestic and joint-venture hydro power projects and guarantee full security. “The government will leave no stone unturned to ensure security to all hydro power projects,” Bista said. On May 22, a group of locals, allegedly Maoist cadres, vandalised and torched all three office buildings of the UKHP. They said that the project was against the welfare of the local people.
The UKHP, being constructed by India’s GMR-led consortium, has been the target of the Maoists earlier too.
Two days ago, Maoist politburo member Dharmendra Bastola had warned that his party was ready to shed blood if the GMR is given the contract for the much-hyped project.
GMR, the Indian joint-venture, has been at the centre of a controversy ever since the Nepali Congress-led coalition government gave its go-ahead to the project in 2008. The Maoists, then a part of the ruling alliance, later went into the opposition in 2009; and it was the first to obstruct the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR).
The Cabinet also decided to appoint Binesh Maharjan as chairman of Patan Mental Hospital, Kamala Dhamachhnag of Nardevi Ayurvedic Hospital, Ganga Prasad Pokharel of Western Region Hospital, Khadga Bahadur Banset of Mahakali Zonal Hospital and Govinda Prasad Timsina of Seti Zonal Hospital.
Source: Kantipur
