NEW DELHI, Nov 23: India has accepted the Nepal Electricity Authority’s request for sale of 250 MW of power for six months from December 1, Hitendra Dev Shakya, Executive Director, NEA, said.
He said Nepal require additional power supply for six months in winter when the water level in the rivers recede causing low power generation in the country’s hydropower projects.
According to Shakya, of the 250 MW power Nepal had offered to purchase from India, about 80 to 150 MW it would require for daily consumption while the balance would be for emergency requirements.
Nepal-India JWG discuss Cross Border Train Services
The 4th India-Nepal Joint Working Group (JWG) was held virtually to discuss Railway Cooperation and review proposals on cross-border rail connections between Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas and Jogbani-Biratnagar and to extend cooperation including the capacity building and training of Nepali railway staff in India and Nepal.
Both sides addressed the technical planning of the completed 34-kilometre segment of the rail line between Jaynagar in India and Kurtha in Nepal for passenger rail services including the standard operating procedures (SOP) to be positioned in place for the resumption of passenger rail services by Nepal Railway Company (NRC).
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu in a release said the section originally a narrow gauge designed by British India (Before Independence) was upgraded to broad gauge by the Indian government at a cost of about Rs 6.08 billion.
The government of Nepal recently acquired two DEMU train sets from India to operate on this rail link. Both sides have addressed the mutual facilitation and cooperation needed to complete the work on the remaining parts from Kurtha to Bilajpura, currently under construction by the Indian government for Rs 3.20 billion.
Both sides have decided to expedite work towards the completion of another existing cross- border rail project between Jogbani in India and Biratnagar in Nepal with grant assistance of Rs 5.88 billion.
Manoj Singh, Executive Director (Traffic Transportation-F) led the delegation along with officials from Ministry of Railways, Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, Konkan Railways, IRCON and Director General of the Department of Railway (DoRw).
The Nepal side was headed by Gopal Prasad Sigdel, Joint Secretary to the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and officials from the Ministry of Home and Foreign Affairs and of Nepal Railway Company.
(Venkatesh Iyer)