Nepal – India agree to expedite water resources and energy cooperation

Minister for Energy and Water Resources Deepak Khadka met India’s Power Minister Manohar Lal and Water Resources Minister C.R. Patil and discussed about moving forward cooperation on energy, water resources and irrigation among others.

Minister Khadka who paid a three day visit to India from November 3 to 6 talking briefly to media persons at Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival from India on Wednesday, said “the visit was important and fruitful.”

During the visit the two sides agreed to expedite Pancheshwor Multipurpose Project and Arun Third hydropower project among others,” said Nabin Raj Singh, director general of Department of Electricity Development, Nepal who was also part of the delegation led by Minister Khadka to India. “Government of India agreed to move forward the Pancheshwor Project and Nepalese side agreed to expedite the works relating to land acquisition for the Arun Third Projectd being developed by Indian company,” he informed.

During the discussion Indian side agreed to provide necessary assistance to Nepal for providing drinking water and irrigation facilities to the people of hilly areas of Nepal through installation of solar panels, according to Singh. The two sides also discussed matters relating to electricity trade, construction of transmission lines and flood control mechanisms among others.

Nepal has requested India to grant permission to use Indian transmission line to export 40 MW electricity to Bangladesh as per the tri-party agreement. Nepal has received permission from Bangladesh government to export 40 MW of electricity for five months, from July 15 to Nov. 15 through India. For this India has to grant permission for electricity export from Nepal through its transmission line. “India has taken positively the request made by Nepal and assured to grant permission soon,” he said.