NEA board members sacked over arrears dispute

Kathmandu: Two members of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Board of Directors, Bhakta Bahadur Pun and Kapil Acharya, have been dismissed from their positions. The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation issued the removal orders for Pun and Acharya, who had been advocating for industrialists to settle arrears on dedicated and trunk lines.

Acharya confirmed to Ratopati that he received his dismissal notice via email. On July 30, both members were asked to explain why they had cut off electricity to industries that had not paid their dues on dedicated and trunk line services. They submitted their explanation on August 2.

However, their explanations were deemed unsatisfactory, and a decision to remove them from the board was made on the same day by Minister Deepak Khadka.

Acharya criticized the decision, stating that they had been appointed for a four-year term, of which only three years had elapsed.

He claimed they were dismissed despite their efforts to uphold state interests and announced plans to seek legal recourse.

“We were appointed for four years, but after three years, we were removed for standing up for the state. We are now compelled to seek justice in court,” Acharya said, noting that he will consult legally before proceeding with the case.