Bomb blast at Nepal's hydroelectricity project's office weeks before inauguration by Modi

A bomb exploded today at the office of a hydroelectricity project in Nepal developed with Indian assistance, weeks before its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a media report said.

The compound wall of 900 MW Arun III Hydroelectric Power Plant's office in Khandbari-9, Tumlingtar, nearly 500 km from here, suffered minor damage after the explosion, My Republica reported.

The project is slated to come into operation by 2020.

The power plant is scheduled to be inaugurated by Modi on his upcoming visit to Nepal on May 11, the report said.

A Project Development Agreement (PDA) for Arun III was signed with India's state-owned Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) on November 25, 2014 in the presence of the then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and visiting Indian Prime Minister Modi, the report said.

The wall on the south side is slightly damaged due to the bomb explosion, Police Inspector Bed Prasad Gautam said.

The investigation is going on about the incident. However, no one has claimed responsibility of the blast, he added.

This is the second blast within a month in Indian properties in Nepal.

On April 17, a pressure cooker bomb went off near the Indian Embassy field office in Biratnagar damaging the walls of the premises.