Kathmandu, Sept 23: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, has said that search is on for those employees of hydropower projects who have gone missing in the aftermath of the floods in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river system on August 26.
Informing the House of Representatives (HoR) meeting today about the loss of lives and property in the energy sector due to the devastating flood, current efforts, and future plans, he said that the search for the missing people continues in tunnels of hydropower projects with the coordination of the Nepali Army and foreign experts.
Nine hundred people from the Nepal Electricity Authority and other projects are missing after the disaster.
“We have deployed all our resources to the very last door of possibility for search and rescue. Our primary duty right now is to continue search and rescue efforts to the utmost, treat the injured, restore displaced families, and quickly rebuild damaged infrastructure including electricity, roads, and bridges. Returning the lives of affected citizens to normal is the highest responsibility of the state,” Minister Shrestha said.
He said that 11 projects were shut down due to the flood and that out of 1,433 people working at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, 955 were safely rescued. According to preliminary estimates, he mentioned that around Rs 390 billion 623 million will be needed for the overall revival of the energy sector.
Minister Shrestha informed the HoR that it has been decided to provide immediate relief of Rs 500 thousand and 50 percent of the salary for six months to the dependent families of the Electricity Authority employees who are unaccounted for due to the flood while serving the nation.
