KATHMANDU, June 24 - The government on Sunday set up a Project Steering Committee (PSC) and a Project Task Force (PTF) to monitor and accelerate construction of the 750 MW West Seti Hydroelectric Project (WSHEP).

The Department of Electricity Development (DoED) under the Ministry of Energy formed a ten-member PSC and a five-member PTF to ensure effective implementation of the WSHEP located in Doti and Baitadi districts in the Far-western region.

According to Tuesday’s DoED letter to WSHEP, the West Seti Hydro, the promoter of the project will coordinate with PSC and PTF to review progress and rectify problems hindering the progress of the project, and identify measures to be taken for expediting project work.

A member from energy sector under the National Planning Commission will chair the 10-member PSC, which has secretaries as members from various ministries including Finance, Home Affairs and Ministry of Energy.

Likewise, the director general of DoED has been appointed chairman of PTF.

PSC will review the progress of the project on the basis of periodic reports and submit its report to PTF, and respond to measures to be proposed by agencies including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), investors, lenders and contractors, a WSHEP press statement on Tuesday stated.

Meanwhile, PSF will be responsible for facilitating communication between PSC and West Seti Hydro and  other stakeholders. The task force will also coordinate with various district level offices.

Two weeks ago, as per the agreement between the government and ADB, WSHEP  had formed an Independent Panel of Experts for successful completion of the much-awaited project.

Kathmandu, 22 April: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has promised to provide a grant assistance of $25.6 million to help restore economic activity in parts of Nepal devastated by last year’s monsoon floods.

More than 300,000 people living in the eastern and far western region of the country were seriously affected by the August floods, and the landslides that followed.

Flood damage to infrastructure and livelihoods amounted to an estimated $88 million, and thousands of people, mostly poor, were displaced.

The meeting of the ADB board of directors approved the grant for funding the Emergency Flood Damage Rehabilitation Project jointly assisted by the ADB and UN Agencies, according to an ADB statement.

Under the project, which is focused on the Kailali, Kanchanpur and Sunsari districts, key infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and irrigation channels will be built or repaired, and landslide stabilization work will be undertaken to avoid similar disasters in the future, added the statement.