Protest Ends Halting Construction of 25MW Hydropower Project in Myagdi

Myagdi. The obstruction to the construction of the 25 MW Darbang Myagdi Khola Hydropower Project, currently under construction in the Malika and Dhaulagiri Rural Municipalities of Myagdi, has ended today after one month.

Residents of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality had halted the project's construction since Poush 25 (January 9) due to the failure to begin the construction of a bridge over the Dang Khola, located at the border of Malika Rural Municipality-5 and Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-7 along the Darbang-Dang Khola-Dharapani-Takum-Muna-Lulang-Gurja road, six years after the contract was signed. The project is promoted by Dhaulagiri Kalika Hydro Limited.

Resham Pun Magar, Vice-Chairperson of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality, informed that since assurance has been given that the construction of the motorable bridge will commence within the current fiscal year as per the demands of the local residents, a decision was made in consultation with the political parties and local leaders involved in the protest to withdraw the agitation and cooperate in resuming the hydropower project construction work.

Harkaman Magar, Managing Director of Dhaulagiri Kalika Hydro, committed to starting and completing the bridge construction as soon as possible after completing the legal procedures. The contract for the bridge construction over the Dang Khola was signed between the Infrastructure Development Office, Myagdi, and Indreni-Fewa JV Pokhara on Jestha 22, BS 2076 (June 5, 2019) for NPR 19,329,457.

When preparations were underway to start the 18-meter long motorable bridge construction, which was targeted for completion on Jestha 20, BS 2077 (June 2, 2020), it was agreed that the provincial government would be requested to build the bridge 200 meters upstream from the proposed location as it fell within the submergence area of the Darbang Myagdi Khola Hydropower Project's dam. If the government agency did not build the bridge, the project itself would construct it.

The construction of the bridge could not commence because the contractor went to court citing reasons such as the hydropower project not allowing work to proceed on time. Therefore, the locals had halted the construction of the hydropower project as a form of pressure until the bridge construction began.

The temporary motorable bridge constructed by Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality over the Dang Khola in BS 2075 (2018/2019) has become dilapidated, causing transportation difficulties for residents of Gurja, Lulang, Muna, Modi, and Takum due to the lack of a new bridge.