Kathmandu, Sept. 25: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said that the government has initiated the legal process to ensure a 2 per cent share of initial public offerings (IPOs) of hydropower projects for serving security personnel.
Addressing the meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Minister Shrestha said the provision was being introduced to encourage security personnel in recognition of their role and contribution during the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river system.
He said the dedication demonstrated by security personnel in search, rescue and rehabilitation operations despite difficult geographical conditions, adverse weather and limited resources was highly commendable.
He added that the necessary legal process had been initiated to provide security personnel serving the nation with access to IPOs as a mark of recognition for their contribution.
The most painful aspect of the disaster is the loss of human lives.
According to the details received, more than 800 people working at various hydropower projects and structures are still reported missing. Among them are 47 employees of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
As search and rescue efforts continued, a Chinese national was safely rescued from the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project on the 12th day after the flood. So far, 39 bodies have been recovered from the project. Similarly, two employees, Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were safely rescued from the Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project on the 10th day after the flood. One body has also been recovered from the project.
The government has accorded high priority to the search and rescue of people trapped in underground structures of hydropower projects or who remain missing since the disaster.
Similarly, Minister Shrestha said a decision had been taken to provide immediate relief to the dependent families of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) employees who lost their lives or went missing during the disaster.
He said the families of NEA employees who lost their lives or went missing in the Trishuli River while serving the nation would receive immediate relief of Rs. 500,000, along with 50 per cent of their salary for six months.
He said the financial assistance should not be viewed as compensation for the loss but as an initial effort by the state to stand by the affected families and fulfil its responsibility during their time of grief.
Further assistance would be provided to the affected families in accordance with the NEA regulations and relief packages to be announced by the government, he added.
“Nothing is more valuable than human life,” Minister Shrestha said. “The pain caused by the devastating floods cannot be alleviated with money. However, the government must stand with the affected families at this difficult time to help meet their immediate needs.” Minister Shrestha also said that various decisions had been taken regarding electricity services to ease the financial burden on households, businesses and other electricity consumers affected by the floods.
According to him, minimum electricity bills for flood-affected consumers would not be charged from Bhadau, damaged electricity meters would be written off from the records, and consumers wishing to reconnect to the electricity service would be provided with new meters free of charge.
He further said that a study was underway on whether additional concessions on electricity tariffs could be provided to consumers in 15 local levels affected by the floods.
Eleven power generation plants—operated by the Nepal Electricity Authority, its subsidiaries, and the private sector within the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river system—have currently shut down due to floods.
While seven hydropower projects and one solar plant that were operational prior to the floods have suffered a combined loss of approximately 275 megawatts, three other hydropower projects with a total capacity of 135 megawatts remain out of operation due to damage to transmission lines, despite the plants themselves remaining undamaged.
Consequently, a total of 410 megawatts of power is currently offline from the national grid due to the disaster, he said.
Similarly, six hydropower projects under construction, with a combined capacity of 508 megawatts, have also been damaged.
According to a preliminary assessment, an estimated Rs. 390.623 billion is required for the overall recovery of the energy sector.
