India has agreed to help expedite the Pancheshwor hydropower project and assist in the conservation of the Bagmati river in Kathmandu, a senior Nepalese official said today.
During Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's just-concluded official visit to India, the two sides have agreed to expedite the stalled works relating to preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Pancheshwor Multipurpose Project and to finalise its terms of reference, Nepal Foreign Secretary Madan Prasad Bhattarai said.
The 6,000 Mw Pancheshwor project is a part of the Mahakali Treaty signed between the two countries in 1996, which could not be moved forward due to the political instability in Nepal. The project involves hydro-electricity generation, irrigation facilities, fishery project and tourism, which could benefit both Nepal and India.
The Mahakali Integrated Treaty was signed by the Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Indian counterpart P V Narasimha Rao.
India has also "responded positively" to Nepal's request to help in its Bagmati River Conservation Project, which aims at improving the health of the polluted river and protecting the environment of the surrounding area, he said.
India would soon send a technical team to study the feasibility of the project, he said. The river, flowing beside the Pashupatinath temple, has a great religious and cultural significance.
During the bilateral talks, the Indian side also agreed to implement the 240 Mw Naumure power project as soon as possible and xpedite works relating to installing 400 kva Dhalkebar-Mujaffarpur transmission line that would facilitate more power exchange between the two countries, Bhattarai said.
He also informed that Nepal has asked India to provide 100 Mw additional power through grid-connectivity at three points so as to help resolve the power crisis during the winter season. India is currently supplying 50 Mw power to Nepal to help reduce the power cuts during the off season.
During Prime Minister Nepal's maiden visit to India, the two sides had finalised a revised trade treaty and decided to review the 1950 friendship treaty between the neighbouring countries.
