The little green car

The battery-operated Reva cars are no longer the head turners they used to be five years ago in Kathmandu. The residents of the capital have got used to seeing the tiny vehicles plying alongside motorbikes, microbuses and SUVs on the congested streets.

Pic: Reva electric car

But the electric cars are likely to gain more popularity among urban Nepalis now that Agni Incorporated, the authorised distributors of Mahindra vehicles in Nepal, has been granted dealership of Revas.

The Indian multinational bought half the stake in the Bangalore-based company earlier this year which makes the California-designed car that was introduced in Nepal in 2000 by Eco-Vision.

"Reva is not a new name in Nepal, but we intend to increase its visibility by marketing the brand intensely," says Cabinet Shrestha of Agni Incorporated, which has been the dealer for Mahindra in Nepal. "Extending the partnership in electric vehicles was a mutually beneficial agreement for both of us." Shrestha plans to market the car outside Kathmandu as well, starting with Pokhara and Lumbini.

बिजुली नबिक्दा घरजग्गाको चिन्ता

सिद्धराज राई, धनकुटा 

उज्यालोमात्र होइन, आर्थिक गर्जोसमेत टार्ने उद्देश्यले बिजुली उत्पादनमा लागि परेका धनकुटा मारेककटहरेवासीलाई अहिले घरजग्गा लिलाम होला भन्ने चिन्ता छ। नेपाल विद्युत प्राधिकरणले केन्द्रीय विद्युत प्रशारण लाइन गाउँसम्मै पुर्‍याएपछि गाउँमा उत्पादित बिजुली खपत हुन छाडेकाले यो अवस्था आएको हो। २०६१ सालबाट निर्माण सुरु गरी गएको गत वर्ष पूरा भएको लेगुवाखोला लघु जलविद्युत आयोजनाबाट जम्मा ४० किलोवाट विद्युत उत्पादन भइरहेको छ। यो बिजुली गाउँमा वितरण गरेको केही महिनामै प्राधिकरणले पनि विद्युत सेवा विस्तार गरेको थियो। 

'अहिले हाम्रो तारमा विद्युत प्राधिकरणको करेन्ट गइरहेको छ। सबैले त्यही बत्ती बाल्न थालेका छन्,' लेगुवाखोला लघुजलविद्युत उपभोक्ता सहकारी संस्थाका अध्यक्ष नारद कटुवालले भने, 'हाम्रो पुरानो बक्यौता पनि उठन सकेको छैन।' केन्द्रीय प्रशारण लाइनबाट सबैतिर बिजुली पुगेकाले बक्यौता उठन गाह्रो भएको उनले बताए।

सिँचाइ पनि हुने र बिजुली पनि बाल्ने योजना साथ सहकारिताको अवधारणा अनुसार निर्माण गरिएको उक्त आयोजनाको आम्दानी अहिले शून्य बराबर छ। विद्युत नबिकेपछि घाटामा गएका लघु जलविद्युत निर्माणकर्ताहरूमा यतिबेला बैंकबाट लिएको ऋण कसरी तिर्ने भन्ने छटपटी छ। आयोजना निर्माण गर्न कृषि विकास बैंक धनकुटा शाखाबाट १२ जनाले धनीपूर्जा राखेर १३ लाख रुपैयाँ ऋण लिएका थिए।

Miss Nepal 2012 Shristi Shrestha nominated WWF’s Young Conservation Ambassador

Kathmandu, Nepal 

WWF Nepal welcomed Miss Nepal 2012, Shristi Shrestha, as the seventh Young Conservation Ambassador. 

“On behalf of WWF, I am very happy to welcome Shristi as our seventh Young Conservation Ambassador. I would also like to acknowledge with gratitude Miss Nepal 2011, Malina Joshi for her active contribution to help raise awareness on WWF's conservation endeavors,” said Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal.                                                                         

Following in the footsteps of Payal Shakya, Sugarika KC, Sitashma Chand, Zenisha Moktan, Sadichha shrestha and Malina Joshi, Shristi will be actively involved in helping promote conservation. She will be involved in WWF’s Snow Leopard Conservation Campaign, The Green Lumbini Initiative and The Generation Green campaign where she will work with students and Eco Clubs of various schools to raise awareness about conservation and develop youth projects focusing on environment and species conservation.

WWF Nepal started appointing The Hidden Treasure’s Miss Nepal pageant winners as the Young Conservation Ambassador from 2004 and since then Payal Shakya, Sugarika KC, Sitashma Chand, Zenisha Moktan, Sadichha Shrestha and Malina Joshi have contributed to disseminating the message of conservation through word and deed.

माथिल्लो मोदी 'ए' को निर्माण सुरु

विद्युत प्राधिकरण र कोरिया वाटर रिसोर्सेज कर्पोरेसन (के-वाटर) मिलेर माथिल्लो मोदी 'ए' जलविद्युत आयोजनाको निर्माण सुरु गरेका छन्। यो आयोजना निर्माण गर्न तीन महिनाअघि सहमति भएको थियो। आयोजनाअघि बढाउन कोरियाली पक्षले कार्यालय स्थापना गरेर काम सुरु गरिसकेको छ। 'आयोजनास्थलमा सिभिल निर्माणका लागि ड्रिलिङ लगायत सिभिल कामअघि बढाइसकेका छौं,' प्राधिकरण आयोजना विकास विभागका निर्देशक केशवराज भट्टले भने।

 ४७ मेगावाटको यो आयोजना संयुक्त रुपमा निर्माण गर्न गत चैत १४ गते प्राधिकरण र के-वाटरले सम्झौता गरेका हुन्। संयुक्त कम्पनी स्थापना गरेर निर्माण गर्ने सहमतिअनुसार अहिले प्राधिकरणले आफ्नोतर्फबाट गर्नुपर्ने कामहरु सुरु गरेको छ। यो आयोजना कास्की र पर्वतको सिमानामा पर्ने मोदी नदीमा निर्माण हुनेछ। आयोजनामा ८० प्रतिशत सेयर के-वाटर र २० प्रतिशत प्राधिकरणको हुनेछ। 

के-वाटरले आफ्नो सेयरमध्यबाट १० प्रतिशत स्थानीयबासीलाई दिने घोषणा गरेको छ। १२ वर्ष अघिको अध्ययन अनुसार यो आयोजना बनाउन १० करोड अमेरिकी डलर खर्च लाग्नेछ। यसलाई अद्यावधिक गर्दा अझै कम खर्च लाग्ने अनुमान प्राधिकरणले गरेको छ। 

Upper Bhote Koshi Hydroelectric Project

Bhote Koshi Power Company Private Limited (BKPC) owns and operates the Upper Bhote Koshi Hydroelectric Project (UBKHEP) which is the first privately funded, run of the river hydroelectric power project in Nepal. BKPC was incorporated in 1996 under the Nepalese Company Act. Its plant is situated in Sindhupalchowk District of central Nepal and is approximately 110 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu. The UBKHEP is a 36 MW power plant with 2 turbine/generator units. 

BKPC entered into a Project Agreement with the Government of Nepal in July 1996 for the development of the UBKHEP. BKPC has a 40-year license to build, own, operate and transfer the UBKHEP as per the Electricity Act, 2049 (1992).

BKPC entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in July 1996 for the sale and purchase of energy. The PPA is valid for 25 years from the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of January 24, 2001. 50% of the Project Assets will be transferred to NEA upon maturity of PPA tenure at One Rupee only.