Kathmandu, December 22
Even as opposition has been growing from several members of the ruling party of the country against the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) backed projects in Nepal, the Millennium Challenge Account -Nepal (MCA-Nepal) has appealed for timely ratification of the MCC Compact by the Federal Parliament.
The Compact has outlined six Conditions Precedent (CPs) to be achieved as necessary prerequisites before the ‘Entry Into Force’ (EIF), set for June 30.
Out of the six, four have already been met with the October agreement for cross-border transmission line between Nepal and India.
Khadga Bahadur Bisht, executive director of MCA-Nepal, said that the government has been unable to meet the key preconditions to start the projects.
“Parliamentary ratification and access to site are the two major remaining conditions that will be required to ensure Nepal can access the funds allocated to implement the programme on time,” he stated.
As per the plan, the MCC- Nepal programme has identified projects under two headings — high-voltage transmission lines and road maintenance — which need to be completed by June 29, 2025.
As per MCA-Nepal, the project will construct 312-kilometre-long 400 kVA high-voltage transmission lines and three high capacity substations, including building 856 transmission line towers across the alignment.
The transmission line will pass through 30 municipalities of 10 districts. The locations for three substations are in Ratmate, Damauli and New Butwal.
Similarly, the programme will build different road projects with a total length of 100 kilometres.
The projects will be implemented through the use of cutting-edge technology from United States.
Read the full news article on The Himalayan Times.
