Report on site visit to Nuwakot. It was introductory workshop for ETP in nuwakot district.ETP is a project supported by the US Government and Nepal Government.

1. A Field Trip Report on
The Introductory Workshop on ETP in Nuwakot district
Background:
Internalizing‘transparency’,acore value of MCC, as a guidelinetoitsworkculture,MCA-Nepal planned
to organize a half-dayIntroductoryWorkshoponETP at BidurMunicipality inNuwakotdistrict on18 July
2019 withan overall objective toshare the multi-dimensional informationonthe ETP,focusingonits
activitiesinNuwakot.The targetedaudience of the meetingwere setas headsof variousgovernment
entities inthe district,Memberof Central andProvincial Parliaments, headsof variousNGOsandUser
Groups andotherconcerned stakeholders tothe subjectmatter.The workshopintended toreceive
feedbackfrom the participantsonthe project andupdate themaccordinglytothe possible extent.
Objectives:
 To disseminateaconcrete message onthe importance of the project;
 To sensitize governmentagencies,people’srepresentativesandlocal stakeholdersonMCA-
Nepal anditsactivities;
 To builda commonconsensus amongdistrictbasedstate actorson the project;
 To make local stakeholdersaware aboutthe MCA-NepalanditsactivitiesinNuwakot;
FieldTrip Period: 17 to 18 July2019
Team Members:
 MCA-Nepal:
o Mr. KhadgaBahadur Bisht
o Ms. Shalini Tripathi
o Mr. ShyamKrishnaUpadhyaya
o Mr. Sanjay KumarSharma
o Mr. ShivaPrasadDhakal
o Mr. PushkarMathema
o Mr. KeshavNyaupane
o Ms. AlinaShrestha(Invitee)
o Ms. KarishmaChandaThakuri (Invitee)
 MCC:
o Mr. SanjayPoudyal
o Mr. RamakantSharma

2. Activities:
 Moderation of the workshop;
 Facilitationtothe invitees;
 Physical observationof the Sub-stationsite atRatmate.
Highlightsfrom the Workshop:
 The workshopwasparticipatedby 46 local participants,representingvariousGOs,MPsand
NGOs inNuwakot.Mr. NarayanPrasadKhatiwada,Memberof Parliamentwasthe Chief Guest
of the Program.
 Ms. Shalini Tripathi,DeputyEDof MCA-Nepal,welcomedthe participantsand requested them
to take the ownershipof the projectasit isa national pride projectof Nepal.
 Five presentations asfollows highlightedonthe overallworkingmodalityof MCA-Nepal andits
plannedactivitiesinNuwakotdistrict,probable impactsandmitigationmeasures:
o Introductionof MCC and MCA-Nepal –Mr. KhadgaBahadurBisht,ED, MCA-Nepal
o ElectricityDevelopmentandChallengesinNepal - Mr.Khadga BahadurBisht,ED, MCA-
Nepal
o ElectricityTransmissionProject: Componentsand Status,Mr. Sanjay K Sharma,Project
Manager-SubStations,MCA-Nepal
o Environmental andSocial Safeguardrequirementsandimplementationtimeline–Mr.
ShyamKrishnaUpadhyay,QualityAssurance Manager – Environment,HealthandSafety
o SafeguardandRAPimplementationtimeline –Mr. ShivaPrasad Dhakal,ESPSpecialist –
Land Acquisition
 Deliveringhisfirstpresentation,Mr.Bishtintroducedthe agencyanditsgovernance structure
underthe Ministryof Finance.He alsosharedthe backgroundof MillenniumChallenge
Corporation’sworkaroundthe world,highlightingthe reasonwhyNepal wasselectedfora500
millionUSDgrantby MCC andwhy the Governmentof Nepal identifiedETPas a national priority
project. He alsotalkedaboutthe CPs and the statusof the program.
 Mr. Bishtsharedthe inter-relationshipbetweenelectricityconsumptionandeconomyciting
examplesof AsiancountrieslikeBhutan andLaosin hisanotherpresentation.He explainedthe
statusof electricityproductionand consumptioninNepal andchallengesinthe developmentof
transmissionlines.
 Mr. Sharmaintroducedthe ETP focusingonitscomponentsandstatus.He informedthat30
municipalitieshave beenconsulted,geo-techsurveysfor60 locationshave beencompletedand
sub-stations landhave beenacquired forNew Butwal (byNEA forMCA-Nepal portionof work
also) while negotiationsare ongoingbetweenNEA andconcernedlandownersinDamauli
regardsconstructionof NewDamauli Substation.LandhasbeenidentifiedbyMCA-Nepal for
Ratmate Substationwhile preparatoryworksforlandacquisitionare ongoing.

3.  Sharingthe probable impactof the projectinthe livesof peopleandthe environment,Mr.
Upadhyayahighlightedthe opportunitiesinemployment,industrial andeconomicgrowth.
Additionally,he informedparticipantsonhow differentinternational andnational policieswill
be followed forthe environmentandsocial protectionactivities.
 Mr. Dhakal presentedon the safeguardingpoliciesof the project,which focusesonprotecting
the people andenvironmentandenhancingenvironmentsustainability.He alsoequipped
participantswiththe knowledge of how the projectwillbe accountable tothe communitiesthat
will be affected.
 MP Mr. NarayanPrasad Khatiwada,the Chief-Guestof the program, emphasizedonthe needof
sharingall informationregardingthe projectas a whole andnot inphases, andrequestedto
address the needsof directlyandindirectlyaffected people.
 Mr. Drona Pokharel,CDOof NuwakotDistrict,mentionedthat citizensshouldnotbe adversely
impactedinthe course of implementationof the project, butadequatelycompensatedasper
government’sguidelinesandlawsof the country.
 Ms. Asha Maya Tamang, a MP of Province No.3, shedlightonthe importance of organising
publichearingsatthe local level toaddressanygrievances,whichwouldcontributetowards the
successof the project.
 Mr. KeshabRaj Pandey,anotherMPof Province No.3,opinedthatall stakeholdersshouldsitat
the same table and local communitiesshouldhave abuy-in,sothatthisproject couldbe
completedontime.
 Mr. DinanathKhatiwada,anotherMPof Province No.3, appealedtohave a positive approach,
create awarenessanda conducive environmentforthe project.
 The participantsprovidedinputsasfollows:
o Communityforestshouldbe usedonlyif there isnoalternative;
o Anykindof partnershipatthe local level shouldprioritiselocal NGOs;
o Developmentfocussedprojectsoftenhamperthe natural beautyof the surroundings.
The governmentmaywantto re-thinkhow eco-tourismcanbe harnessedforthe
developmentof the countryalongside otherprojects;
o It wouldbe goodif the land underRoWare rentedinsteadof providingthe ownerone
time compensation;
o The social benefitsunderthe MCA partnershipprogram shouldbe informedtolocal
people soon;
o The people living nearbythe acquiredlandare alsogoingtobe affected,butthe
program hasnot thoughtaboutthem, there shouldbe some benefitsforthemtoo.

4. Participantsatthe Introductory Workshop.
Chief Guest Narayan Prasad Khatiwada,a Federal MP,
addressing thegathering.
Khadga B.Bisht,the ED of MCA-Nepal,describing the
Compactprogram.