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The Nepali Congress has expressed its dissatisfaction over the expansion of the Cabinet in Lumbini Province.

Chief Minister Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary on Saturday appointed Krishna KC from CPN (Maoist Center) as the Minister of Water Supply, Rural and Cooperatives Development and Saroj Thapa of Nepali Congress as the Minister of Tourism and Transport.

Province Committee officer bearers expressed their dissatisfaction arguing that Chief Minister Chaudhary appointed a junior person as the minister without holding consultations with the party.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Board has been called at Deukhuri on Monday morning to discuss the issue of ministers’ appointment.

Saying that the Chief Minister appointed the minister without holding consultations with the party, Congress Lumbini Province General Secretary Bikram Khanal said that it will not benefit the party.

“There are people who have been contributing to the party for a long time. The person should be finalized by holding discussions with the leaders in the party,” he said, adding, “It seems like that the Chief Minister ignored the party.”

Lumbini Province Chief Minister Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary expanded his Cabinet on Saturday after seven months.

He inducted two ministers into his Cabinet.

Krishna KC from CPN (Maoist Center) has been appointed as Minister of Water Supply, Rural and Cooperatives Development while Saroj Thapa of Nepali Congress has been appointed as Minister of Tourism and Transport.

Lumbini had a seven-member Cabinet including the Chief Minister. With the addition of two ministers on Saturday, there is now a nine-member Cabinet in Lumbini.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister M. U. M. Ali Sabry paid a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the latter’s office in Sheetal Niwas on Friday.

Issues related to bilateral relations, mutual interests and cooperation between Nepal and Sri Lanka  were discussed in the meeting, the President’s Office said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has inaugurated Inaruwa substation today. Inaruwa substation is considered one of the important projects for strengthening power transmission and distribution systems.

Constructed at Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality-4 of Sunsari district, the 400-Kv substation is one of the largest substations constructed in the country.

The country's second largest substation based on Gas Insulated System (GIS) was charged in the second week of October. 

Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, former minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, high-officials of Energy Ministry, Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, Kul Man Ghising, among others were present in the inauguration ceremony.

The next substation of 220/132/33 kV has already come into operation in Inaruwa. There are three power transformers of 315-MVA in 400/220 kV Inaruwa substation constructed under 400-kVHetauda-Dhalkebar-Inaruwa substation expansion project. Around 4,000 MW electricity would be transmitted from Inaruwa substation after the completion of 400 kV Inaruwa- Dhalkebar transmission line.

NEA Executive Director Ghising said Inaruwa substation is the backbone for transmitting electricity produced from hydropower projects at different districts of Koshi Province, for consumption of power locally and to export surplus electricity to India.

Executive Director Ghising said, "Electricity will be supplied locally in addition to the electricity flow from the substation to the national transmission grid. This will improve the voltage in that area thereby ensuring reliable supply of electricity."

Ghising further said that the Inaruwa-Purnia 400 KV cross-country transmission line has been proposed for power trade with India and Inaruwa-Anarmani 400 KV transmission line has been proposed for trade among Nepal-India and Bangladesh from this sub-station.

The Inaruwa sub-station, according to him, has become another huge electricity center to supply electricity from east to west within the country and export to India besides regional power trade.

Moreover, the substation would be significant to supply additional electricity to the industries within the Morang-Sunsari Industrial Corridor. The electricity generated from Arun and Tamor Rivers and their tributaries would be linked to the Inaruwa Sub-Station through Koshi Corridor 220 KC transmission line.

It may be noted that there has been a proposal to construct the Arun 'Hub' Inaruwa 400 KV transmission line.

The Authority said that the Inaruwa Sub-Station has been built in such a way that it can be expanded in future.

Various factors such as inundation, COVID-19 pandemic and prohibitory order and lack of timely availability of tools and technicians among others had adversely affected the substation construction process.