Energy Minister Khadka sets up personal office at Nepal Electricity Authority

Kathmandu, December 4 — Energy Minister Deepak Khadka has begun setting up his office at the Nepal Electricity Authority’s central office in Ratnapark.

On Tuesday, employees from the Ministry of Energy inspected the office space at the Authority, and work on creating the minister's office began later that evening. Previously, there had been no office space specifically designated for the minister at the Authority, and it was uncommon for ministers to establish offices at subordinate agencies.

This is the first time in the 40-year history of the Nepal Electricity Authority that a minister has personally set up an office within the Authority's premises.

While the minister is setting up his office, the Authority's Executive Director, Kulman Ghising, is away on an inspection of the Upper Tamakoshi project. In his absence, ministry employees have begun preparing the office space.

It is worth noting that the Energy Minister is the chairman of the Authority's board, and if necessary, the Authority would have provided office space for the minister. However, sources suggest that the minister’s decision to set up his office independently may be aimed at creating difficulties for Ghising’s work.

Tensions have been rising between the minister and the executive director, especially over unresolved issues like the collection of charges for dedicated and trunk lines. The Authority’s leadership is focusing on collecting arrears, while the ministry has been trying to make things difficult for the Authority's efforts by setting up a committee to handle the issue.

Earlier, the Energy Minister had brought in Prabal Adhikari as energy expert to the ministry to balance out Ghising's influence.