News Summary
- Engineer Shreeram Neupane from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was elected as a member of the House of Representatives with a landslide victory in Tanahun-2, securing 32,687 votes.
- Neupane presented development plans including an iron processing industry, a green hydrogen energy plant, and a safe highway in Tanahun.
- Recognized as an expert in energy, water resources, and infrastructure, he advocates running construction projects 24/7 to fully utilize the development budget.
March 17, Kathmandu. Engineer Shreeram Neupane, representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), won a decisive victory as the House of Representatives member from Tanahun-2 constituency. He secured 32,687 votes, more than double those of his closest rival, Shankar Bhandari of the Nepali Congress.
According to Neupane, this success signals the growing influence of the RSP in Tanahun and the public’s attraction to new-generation leadership. Just as Balendra Shah and the central wave of the RSP gained nationwide support, Neupane’s personal image in Tanahun guaranteed his win.
Neupane joined the RSP on February 26, 2023, alongside Dr. Swarnim Wagle. Prior to this, he was not affiliated with any political party. After joining the RSP, he served as the election operations committee coordinator during the recent by-election in Tanahun-1, assisting Swarnim in playing a key role in Tanahun.
With Dr. Wagle contesting for continuity in Tanahun-1, Neupane filed his candidacy from Tanahun-2. Before announcing his candidacy, he conducted surveys in local wards to assess his acceptance among the population.
Among Neupane’s presented development concepts is the construction of a safe highway on the Prithvi Highway, featuring overhead crossings, lane markings, and lighting to reduce accidents.
About one and a half months prior to the election, Neupane engaged directly with locals across all 43 wards of Tanahun-2 and demonstrated his active involvement in social work. He organized a site visit to the Sikles Hydropower Project and installed smart boards in remote government schools to facilitate live classes connected with schools in Kathmandu.
These efforts played a significant role in strengthening his personal image, he claims. With an engineering background, Neupane sees substantial national-level potential for Tanahun. He pointed out that over 10,000 hectares of flat dry land in the Rising-Ghiring area could be developed into an industrial hub connected to the Kali Gandaki Corridor, a 432 kV transmission line, abundant water, and the Dhaulabadi iron mine.
His primary concept involves establishing an iron processing industry that would use raw materials from the Dhaulabadi iron mine to produce steel. He claims there are sufficient raw materials to sustain the industry for 100 years.
Neupane also proposed a green hydrogen energy plant utilizing the waters of the Kali Gandaki to produce chemical fertilizers, explosives, and ammonia. He explained that large cement factories and chemical fertilizer plants could operate using solar, wind, and hydro energy. Additionally, he envisions making the Tanahun Hydro reservoir, which is 21 kilometers long, Nepal’s largest, while developing tourism sites, homestays, and multipurpose usage strategies, including the excavation of gravel and sand.
He reasserted his vision of a safe highway through overhead crossings, lane expansion, and lighting on the Prithvi Highway to minimize accidents.
Neupane had prepared these concepts prior to his candidacy and submitted them to then-Energy Minister Kulman Ghising and secretaries of six ministries. Although he received positive feedback from the ministries, progress was stalled, an experience he recounted.
Therefore, he believes that with a stable RSP government, consistent policies, honest leadership, and an investment-friendly environment, these ambitious dreams can be realized.
Recognized as an expert in energy, water resources, and infrastructure, Neupane supports 24-hour construction work in three shifts to fully utilize development budgets—90 to 100 percent—creating employment and promoting good governance.
His deep engineering and energy sector experience underpin these proposals. Born in Tanahun, Neupane completed his School Leaving Certificate (SLC) at Amarjyoti Janata Ma.Vi in Gorkha, earned a Diploma in Civil Engineering from WRC in Pokhara, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil and Water Resources Engineering from Pulchowk Campus, as well as a Master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering.
During his student years, he was active in the Free Student Union and Nepal Student Union but distanced himself from student politics due to a mismatch with its nature at the time and shifted focus to professional life. At 25, he left a government job to establish a premier engineering college, and by age 29, he founded the Advanced College of Engineering and Management, becoming its principal.
Having managed major projects like the Melamchi Water Supply Tunnel and Nagdhunga Tunnel, he was honored by the Government of Nepal with the Prabal Janasewa Shree award. However, he states that this recognition motivated him to enter politics due to the lack of honorable governance, corruption, and delays.
After the 2006 movement, free internet and email training was provided to 601 Constituent Assembly members, but poor participation revealed the gap between technology and leadership. He observes that the current Generation Z movement is linked to technology, but leadership has yet to fully embrace it.
As an expert in energy, water resources, and infrastructure, Neupane advocates for full utilization of development budgets through 24-hour, three-shift construction work to generate employment and improve governance.
