Energy Minister Khadka slams Kulman Ghising and Prachanda

Kathmandu, February 18 — Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Minister, Deepak Khadka, has accused the Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Kulman Ghising, of acting unilaterally without following decisions made by the NEA’s board. 

Speaking at the parliamentary session on Tuesday, Minister Khadka stated that Ghising has been ignoring board decisions and has been trying to make independent moves without consulting the government.

He emphasized that such actions would not be tolerated by the government and promised to take necessary measures to rein in such behavior.

Khadka also expressed that there was no reason to speak in favor of any one individual employee, including Ghising, stating that while good work should be rewarded, the government must ensure that board decisions are respected and followed.

He further highlighted that Ghising had repeatedly failed to attend board meetings, which ultimately led to the necessity of changing board members.

The minister also claimed that the end of load-shedding in Nepal was not solely due to Ghising's actions, but rather because of the import of 425 megawatts of electricity from India during that period.

Minister Khadka added that the country had faced losses amounting to 13 billion rupees due to flooding, but the electricity supply was restored smoothly despite the challenges.

In another context, Minister Khadka challenged the allegations of corruption in the Jagadulla Hydropower Project.

Minister Khadka stated that if former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' can prove that there was a financial transaction or corruption in the contract of the hydropower project, he would be ready to resign from both his position as Minister and as a Member of Parliament.

Khadka urged other former Prime Ministers to refrain from making baseless claims.

He accused Prachanda of raising unsubstantiated allegations in Parliament regarding irregularities in the Jagadulla Hydropower project contract.