KATHMANDU, Jan 2: Pokhara will face a daily five-hour power outage from today through January 21 due to upgrade works at the Kundahar Substation under the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). Power supply will remain suspended from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM each day, according to the Pokhara Distribution Centre.
Chief of the Distribution Centre Jitendra Yadav said the shutdown is necessary for the maintenance and upgrading of the 132 kV busbar at the substation. “All feeders supplied through the Kundahar grid will remain shut during the maintenance period. If work is completed ahead of schedule, electricity will be restored earlier than announced,” he said.
Areas from Vijaypur to Harichowk will be affected during the outage period. Regular electricity supply will resume after the maintenance work is completed.
11 hrs power outage in Simkot
Pokhara metropolis launches move to make Pokhara a wire-free city
Meanwhile, Pokhara Metropolitan City has urged internet service providers to cooperate in its plan to make the city wire-free. The initiative aligns with the NEA’s ongoing project to underground electricity lines along a 23-kilometre stretch of the city.
The metropolitan office has also asked service providers to immediately remove unmanaged and unnecessary cables hanging from utility poles. Mayor Dhanraj Acharya said providers have been given one month to coordinate with the NEA and take part in the wire-management effort.
“We have requested internet service providers to support the campaign to make Pokhara’s market areas wire-free. The metropolitan city is ready to provide necessary facilitation,” Acharya said, warning that the city itself will remove the wires if companies fail to do so within the given deadline.
A technical committee will be formed to manage the process. The NEA has been implementing the underground cabling project under its power system strengthening programme, covering areas from Pokhara International Airport through Prithvi Chowk, Srijanachowk, Ratnachowk, Rastra Bank Chowk, Sahid Chowk, Lakeside, Hallanchowk, Bulaundi and up to Zero Kilometre.
According to project chief Anand Subedi, around 60 percent of the work has already been completed, with the remaining sections targeted for completion by July. The project uses horizontal directional drilling technology to minimise road damage while laying underground cables.
Once completed, electricity will be supplied to households through underground systems and transformers, helping eliminate tangled overhead wires, improve urban aesthetics, and enhance Pokhara’s appeal as a major tourist city.
