Ministry seeks beefed up security for Upper Tamakoshi -
by Rudra Pangeni and Ramesh Khatiwada
Photo caption
KATHMANDU/DOLAKHA, March 18: Six days after protests by Nepali employees of the Chinese contractor and locals affected by the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project, the Energy Ministry (MoE) on Wednesday wrote to the Home Ministry seeking additional security arrangements at the project site.
Employees of Sino-Hydro Corporation, the Chinese civil contractor, and people in the project-affected areas have been protesting against the national priority project, demanding privileges in the share allotment. But MoE officials say that the demand for shares cannot be decided immediately.
Project-affected locals have stopped vehicles carrying construction materials for the project.
Talking to Republica, Energy Secretary Rajendra Kishore Kshatri said, "The project faces uncertainty as it's not possible to decide on share allotments immediately as demanded by them." Kshatri added that they received the formal letter from UTHP on Wednesday and have sought support from the Ministry of Home Affairs for ensuring an environment for resuming work at the construction site. About 75 percent of the work on the 456 MW project has been completed so far and the project is expected to go into full-scale generation by April, 2017.
Unforeseen demands by employees and project-affected people are what developmental projects in the country often encounter, the sources told Republica, adding that local political leaders have meddled in the issue for their own vested interests. The sources claim that local leaders of the Nepali Congress and the UCPN (Maoist)are involved although the latter maintained to this daily that they are against the demands put forth by the employees. The contractor has about 850 employees, 60 percent of whom are locals.
Employees of the contractor pushed their demands in the wake of an UTHP announcement inviting applications for shares from residents of the project-affected village development committees and others in the district from March 22. Many believe that the locals have demanded assurances of 500 units of shares and the project employees argue that they are also entitled to the shares of the company they are working for, just as with employees of equity and loan investment companies.
UTHP has allotted 10 percent of shares to the locals of Dolakha district while the contractor employees who are Nepali citizens can only apply for the share allotment of 15 percent meant for the general public.
Pashupati Chaulagain, CPN-UML leader of Dolakha district and Constituent Assembly member, said that the demands of the contractor employees are illogical as no company can offer shares to its own employees. "They could have demanded more pay and perks but not stakes in the company and they are only being encouraged by some ill-intentioned groups," added Chaulagain.
Referring to the problems at the project, Minister for Finance Ram Sharan Mahat on Wednesday quipped, "There is too much democracy in the country." Mahat had just spoken about the project with donor partners at a meeting at the Ministry of Finance.
Chief Secretary Lila Mani Paudyal believes that today's disturbance by locals and contractor employees are due to the wrong ways of share allotment to the employees of companies and organizations of equity partners, investors and developers.
The project is said to be vital for minimizing significantly the rolling power outages and is also the country's only development project that is making satisfactory progress so far. With an investment of about Rs 35 billion, the project is the biggest of its kind to be developed with local funding under a public-private partnership model. It has already received an overwhelming response in share applications allotted for the staff and depositors of the Employees Provident Fund, the Citizens Investment Trust, UTHP and Nepal Electricity Authority.
Upper Tamakoshi Project chief: Share distribution to locals likely to be on hold
KATHMJANDU, March 18 : Chief of UTHP Bigyan Shrestha has said that they are likely to postpone the notice for applications for the initial public offering for the locals of Dolakha if the protest continues. However, 10 percent shares allocated for affected households and members of the general public in the district will not change.
Postponement of share distribution to the people of Dolakha will also delay the share distribution plan for the general public. A total of 15 percent of the project amount of about Rs 35 billion is allocated for the general public. However, the ongoing share distribution for employees and depisitors of the Employees Provident Fund, Nepal Electricity Authority, UTHP and the Citizens' Investment Trust (CIT) won't be affected.
http://new.myrepublica.com/economy/item/17491-ministry-seeks-beefed-up-security-for-upper-tamakoshi.html#sthash.sSWC2PdE.dpuf
by Rudra Pangeni and Ramesh Khatiwada
Photo caption
KATHMANDU/DOLAKHA, March 18: Six days after protests by Nepali employees of the Chinese contractor and locals affected by the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project, the Energy Ministry (MoE) on Wednesday wrote to the Home Ministry seeking additional security arrangements at the project site.
Employees of Sino-Hydro Corporation, the Chinese civil contractor, and people in the project-affected areas have been protesting against the national priority project, demanding privileges in the share allotment. But MoE officials say that the demand for shares cannot be decided immediately.
Project-affected locals have stopped vehicles carrying construction materials for the project.
Talking to Republica, Energy Secretary Rajendra Kishore Kshatri said, "The project faces uncertainty as it's not possible to decide on share allotments immediately as demanded by them." Kshatri added that they received the formal letter from UTHP on Wednesday and have sought support from the Ministry of Home Affairs for ensuring an environment for resuming work at the construction site. About 75 percent of the work on the 456 MW project has been completed so far and the project is expected to go into full-scale generation by April, 2017.
Unforeseen demands by employees and project-affected people are what developmental projects in the country often encounter, the sources told Republica, adding that local political leaders have meddled in the issue for their own vested interests. The sources claim that local leaders of the Nepali Congress and the UCPN (Maoist)are involved although the latter maintained to this daily that they are against the demands put forth by the employees. The contractor has about 850 employees, 60 percent of whom are locals.
Employees of the contractor pushed their demands in the wake of an UTHP announcement inviting applications for shares from residents of the project-affected village development committees and others in the district from March 22. Many believe that the locals have demanded assurances of 500 units of shares and the project employees argue that they are also entitled to the shares of the company they are working for, just as with employees of equity and loan investment companies.
UTHP has allotted 10 percent of shares to the locals of Dolakha district while the contractor employees who are Nepali citizens can only apply for the share allotment of 15 percent meant for the general public.
Pashupati Chaulagain, CPN-UML leader of Dolakha district and Constituent Assembly member, said that the demands of the contractor employees are illogical as no company can offer shares to its own employees. "They could have demanded more pay and perks but not stakes in the company and they are only being encouraged by some ill-intentioned groups," added Chaulagain.
Referring to the problems at the project, Minister for Finance Ram Sharan Mahat on Wednesday quipped, "There is too much democracy in the country." Mahat had just spoken about the project with donor partners at a meeting at the Ministry of Finance.
Chief Secretary Lila Mani Paudyal believes that today's disturbance by locals and contractor employees are due to the wrong ways of share allotment to the employees of companies and organizations of equity partners, investors and developers.
The project is said to be vital for minimizing significantly the rolling power outages and is also the country's only development project that is making satisfactory progress so far. With an investment of about Rs 35 billion, the project is the biggest of its kind to be developed with local funding under a public-private partnership model. It has already received an overwhelming response in share applications allotted for the staff and depositors of the Employees Provident Fund, the Citizens Investment Trust, UTHP and Nepal Electricity Authority.
Upper Tamakoshi Project chief: Share distribution to locals likely to be on hold
KATHMJANDU, March 18 : Chief of UTHP Bigyan Shrestha has said that they are likely to postpone the notice for applications for the initial public offering for the locals of Dolakha if the protest continues. However, 10 percent shares allocated for affected households and members of the general public in the district will not change.
Postponement of share distribution to the people of Dolakha will also delay the share distribution plan for the general public. A total of 15 percent of the project amount of about Rs 35 billion is allocated for the general public. However, the ongoing share distribution for employees and depisitors of the Employees Provident Fund, Nepal Electricity Authority, UTHP and the Citizens' Investment Trust (CIT) won't be affected.
http://new.myrepublica.com/economy/item/17491-ministry-seeks-beefed-up-security-for-upper-tamakoshi.html#sthash.sSWC2PdE.dpuf
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