Nepal revives plan for construction of hydropower project

BEIJING, Dec 16 (APP):A coalition of communist parties, which is set to form a new government in Nepal, has a plan to review scrapped infrastructure projects prepared in collaboration with China.
The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center (CPN) and Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) have performed well in the recent election; they will take over the regime in landlocked Nepal early next year, according to a report telecast by China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Ishwor Pokhrel, the general secretary of the alliance, maintained that after forming the new government, Nepal would revisit agreements with China.
Nepal would implement a 15-point joint communiqué signed by Khadga Prasad Oli and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in March 2016 that covered transportation, trade, and financial cooperation, Pokhrel told South China Morning Post.
The coalition is witnessing massive public support, and Oli is likely to become Nepal’s new prime minister.
Pokhrel pointed out that his party was neither “anti-India” nor “pro-China.” “Nepal is having many existing trade and transit agreements with New Delhi,” he said.
Nepal’s government had earlier canceled the mega Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project proposed to be built in collaboration with Chinese company Gezhouba Water and Power (Group) Co Ltd. The 2.5-billion-US-dollar project proposes to construct a dam for generating 1,200 MW of electricity.
Ahead of the elections, Kamal Thapa, Nepal’s deputy prime minister, last month mentioned the cancellation of the project.