Dehradun, Nov 14: Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda
on Friday said his country was ready to work jointly with India to
develop more hydropower projects on the lines of the 6000-MW
Pancheshwar dam.
"A lot of hydropower potential has been identified in
Nepal. We would like to develop more power projects with
India. Why Pancheshwar only?," Prachanda told reporters at
Jolly Grant Airport after visiting Asia`s highest Tehri dam.
Pointing to the changed political situation in his
country, he said Nepal and India would work jointly in other
fields also with an aim to develop the region.
When asked whether Nepal would prefer dam based power
projects or run-of-the-river projects, Prachanda said his
country would build both.
The Rs 30,000-crore Pancheshwar dam, which is proposed
on the river Mahakali on Uttarakhand-Nepal border, has a lot
of similarities with Tehri dam which displaced over one lakh
people.
A lunch was also hosted in honour of the Nepalese
premier which was attended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C
Khanduri.
Earlier in the day, Prachanda travelled to the 2400-MW
Tehri dam site on a chopper. He also went inside the
powerhouse and showed keen interest in the functioning of the
plant. Prachanda said he went there to study various aspects
of the hydel project.
Prachanda`s visit to Uttarakhand is expected to give a
new lease of life to Pancheshwar dam which is hanging fire
since the last one decade especially in the wake of Maoist
violence in the neighbouring nation.
India and Nepal held a series of meetings related to the
dam and also decided to set up a Pancheshwar Development
Authority.
Bureau Report
