Lower Modi hydel project office padlocked; forty employees halted all activities

Workers and staffs working at under construction 20-MW Lower Modi hydropower project have padlocked its office. The under construction project is in final preparation of test production from third week of June.

They padlocked the office at Kushma municipality-7 putting forth various demands including automatic permanent of the workers and employees involved in construction activities, arrangement of permanent job to project affected area. They have closed the construction of power house and tunnel for the past five days.

Construction works have been affected after forty employees working at the project halted all the activities from June 3.

Saurav Poudel said, "We are compelled to padlock the office as false commitment to appoint us at permanent status was made time and again." Earlier, the workers and employees had also padlocked the office and halted the works from May 22-26. The works were resumed after an agreement to resolve the problems after June 3.

Ramesh Bhandari said that they were compelled to launch agitation after the office did not implement its commitment. Whereas, the project said that it has a plan to make employees permanent after fulfilling all necessary process once the project starts generating power and no employee has been appointed in permanent basis.

Project Chief Pawan Kumar Yadav said, "We will begin process to appoint the employees in permanent basis by announcing a new vacancy. Priority will be given to the incumbent staffs."