Nepal and India have finalized the terms of references (TOR) of the Pancheshwar Development Authority (PDA) more than a decade after the two governments agreed to develop a major hydropower project in Mahakali River.
The PDA will oversee the works of massive 6,000 MW Pancheswor Multipurpose Project.
The two sides also agreed to ratify the agreements reached in the past to form the PDA by January 2010 and expedite the ambitious project during the secretary level meeting held in tourist city of Pokhara.
A 10-member delegation led by Indian Water Resource Secretary Umesh Nath Panjiyar had arrived Kathmandu to hold talks with his Nepali counterpart Shankar Koirala.
Officials said there will be two bodies in the PDA -- the governing body and the executive committee. Both the bodies will have equal number of representatives from the two countries.
As per the agreement, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the authority will be selected on the basis of free competition. The candidates vying for the post may be a citizen of either of the two countries. The Additional CEO (ACEO) will be selected from the country other than that represented by the CEO.
Other employees will be selected from both the countries.
Similarly, there has been an agreement to make water resources secretaries from both the countries as officio chairmen.
The head office of the authority will be based in Mahendranagar of Kanchanpur district. The governments of both Nepal and India will invest equal money for the operation of the authority. Besides, Pancheshwar Development Fund would also be set up to expedite the project.
Pancheswor is a major component of the Mahakali Treaty that the two government signed in 1996 to harness Mahakali River. The project was put into backburner so far due to political turmoil and political controversy surrounding it in Nepal.
The detailed project report of the plan was to be completed by 2001 as per the initial agreement.
- Asian Tribune -
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