After the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) cut power connections over the dispute related to dedicated and trunk line fees, CPN-UML leader Gokul Baskota commented that the dispute cannot be resolved unless billing details are provided.
During the Tihar holidays, the NEA disconnected power lines of 6 industries in the first phase and 18 more in the second phase.
Baskota said, “Whether Kulman Ghising is the Managing Director or the Energy Minister, the dispute related to electricity consumption bills must be resolved as per the law and the decision of the Tariff Fixation Commission. This is not a matter of giving or taking favors—it is about paying and receiving the cost of consumption. Unless the NEA provides the consumption bill to the consumers, the dispute cannot be resolved. Additional stunts are meaningless.”
Industrialists have already stated that they are ready to pay the fees once the NEA provides them with the bills.
However, the NEA cut off the power supply arguing that the industries failed to clear the outstanding fees. It was the same dedicated and trunk line dispute that led KP Sharma Oli’s government to remove NEA’s then Executive Director Kulman Ghising from his position.
After the Gen Z movement, the Oli government was ousted and Sushila Karki became the Prime Minister.
When Ghising later became Energy Minister in the Karki-led government, his first decision was to collect fees from dedicated and trunk power line users.
Although some industries paid the dues in installments, many others refused to pay collectively and instead demanded proof and calculation details.
After industries were shut down due to power cut, UML leader and former minister Gokul Baskota emphasized that NEA must provide the bills to settle the dispute.
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