Uncertainty has loomed large over the construction of West Seti Hydropower Project which was to be built in Talara of Adarsha rural municipality and Dhungad area of Baitadi district.
Locals have been frustrated with uncertainty on the construction of the hydro project despite interests from different countries and companies.
Tek Bahadur Rokaya, a local, said, "We have been merely assured of the construction of West Seti. Who to construct the project has yet to be finalized. The hydropower has merely become leaders' recipe for begging."
Locals have expressed frustration that the hydropower project has become a history when there has been no decision on who to construct it. The 750-MW capacity hydro project – which was also taken as a backbone for the economic development of Far-West region – has not received tangible efforts from the state side, locals complained.
Ghanashyam Dutta Pathak, Nepali Congress leader of Dipayal, said the construction of the project would not only liberate people from the burden of load-shedding but also would benefit people who have been relegated to the backburner of state mainstream over the years.
Indecision on the project construction has put the people in whammy, said Prem Bahadur Balayar, a local of Latamandu of Doti.
"There has been a rumor regarding West Seti project construction since three decades. No concrete progress had been made so far. The dream is likely to dash."
In a sheer frustration, locals warned parties' leaders, "Construct the West Seti project if you can otherwise do not do politics on it".
