Lawmakers dissatisfied over rural electrification budget

Kathmandu, Aug. 16 (RSS): The Lower House meeting yesterday was postponed for half an hour following expressions of concern by MPs over the appropriation of a lump sum amount under the rural electrification and distribution system consolidation project rather than making district-wise allocations.

Earlier, taking time from the Speaker, Minister for Water Resources Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar said that the districts have not been separated but a lump sum amount has been appropriated under the rural electrification and distribution system consolidation project adding that the project which began in 1999/2000 under loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank will be completed by 2000/2001.

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs. 34.859 billion of which ADB loan assistance amounts to Rs. 24.25160 billion, while an investment of Rs 265. 185 million comes from His Majesty’s Government and Rs. 795.5444 million from Nepal Electricity Authority.

The loan assistance approved by the ADB is yet to be activated, Minister Gachchhadar said.

Under the project, a feasibility study was carried out in 22 districts with ADB technical cooperation.

Some 154,000 households of 240 VDCs are likely to benefit from the project. A similar study is also being carried out in 15 additional districts with domestic resources.

Minister Gachchhadar clarified that allocation of budget on a district-wise basis was not possible before completion of an environmental impact study and extensive study in the 37 districts mentioned.

Directives have been issued for completion of the study work immediately. Completion of the study will bring out the real cost and will help decide what and how many programmes can be allocated for every district. Appropriations will then be made taking into consideration the advice and recommendation of the MPs, he added.

Expressing concern over the Minister’s statement, CPN-UML’s Ganga Prasad Nepal, Bijaya Subba, Dr Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, Dilli Raj Khanal, Parsuram Meghi Gurung and RPP’s Ram Chandra Raya said survey for the project has featured many times before and depositing a lump sum amount rather than distributing the budget for every district in a transparent manner will give rise to corruption.

Responding to the MPs, Minister for Water Resources Mr Gachchhadar said allocation of separate budgets is possible for the 22 districts where survey has been completed. But allocation of the budget will be made following completion of survey in all the districts in a transparent manner and in the presence of MPs from the concerned districts.

The meeting was postponed over this issue for half an hour.