Nepal vows protection to investors after attacks raise concern

Kathmandu, Oct 13 (PTI) Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai today promised to provide necessary security to foreign investors coming to the country and special protection on power project sites, months after an attack on an Indian infrastructure and power major by suspected Maoist cadres, raised concerns. At the helm of a Maoist-led government, Bhattarai also said that involvement of our southern neighbour India becomes inevitable while developing large scale hydropower, and promised that all pending issues in such projects will be resolved. The government of Nepal is resolute in matters of maintaining law and order everywhere in the country, special security measures will be taken in power project sites whenever necessary, the prime minister said while inaugurating the 'Nepal Energy Investors Forum' here. The Prime Minister said accelerated development of power sector infrastructure was required to boost Nepal's economic growth and promised to bridge shortcomings, if any, in creating investment friendly environment. We are observing that private sector investors in hydropower projects are having hard time in meeting unending demands of building local infrastructures and providing social services from the project affected inhabitants, he said. The Prime Minister's remarks came in the backdrop of attacks allegedly by the local Maoist cadres few months ago on GMR Group's three offices in Dailekh district in western Nepal, where the Indian energy giant has been developing 900 MW Upper Karnali hydropower project.