Banke/tilottama, Oct. 14 -- Almost a decade since work began to bring electricity to Baijapur-3 and 4 in Rapti-Sonari Rural Municipality and Narainapur Rural Municipality-4 in Banke district, many villages are yet to be connected to the national grid due to politicisation, legal hurdles and slowpoke contractors.

In April 2009, a joint venture of Ushma and Gauri Parvati signed the electrification agreement, but work stalled. A lengthy legal hurdle emerged and prevented the rural electrification project from moving forward. Locals are frustrated as the electrification project stopped for a long time due to various internal conflicts.

State-owned power utility Nepal Electricity Authority terminated the 33 kV Kohalpur-Dhampur transmission l...