By Our Correspondent, Charikot, Mar 31:  Local people have forced the 456 MW Tamakoshi Hydropower Project, located at Bigu Gaonpalika of Dolakha district, to halt the construction work from Tuesday.

The national pride project had been continuing the construction work with the application of various precautions amidst the fear of the coronavirus pandemic and implementation of lockdown since a week ago.

Director of the project Dr. Ganesh Neupane said that construction work of the project was stopped from Tuesday following the pressure from local residents to halt all the works.

Though there was no risk as workers and technicians of the project, who are from Nepal, China and Italy, are continuously working in the project before the problem of coronavirus case, we are forced to stop the construction after the pressure from the local people, he
said.

All the work except some critical works in tunnel and powerhouse have been closed from today, Neupane said.

The project was conducting the test of dam and head works, and fitting penstock pipes in 310-metre long upper vertical shaft and 373 metre penstock pipe in lower vertical shaft.

Neupane said that one of the very difficult tasks of fitting penstock pipes had also been halted due to the closedown.

The time of project completion is being postponed time and again due to delay in conducting the complex work of penstock pipe installation.

Work of powerhouse and extension line of the project have already been completed.

Electricity production from the first unit was targeted to start by mid-July.

In aggregate, 99.4 per cent work of the project has been completed so far.

Currently, the work of chemical grouting in the main tunnel is in progress while congregate lining work has almost been completed.

Initially, the estimated cost of the project was Rs. 49 billion which has reached Rs. 72 billion due to delay in construction and devaluation of the Nepali currency.