Kulman Ghising Demands Immediate Recovery of Premium Electricity Dues

Kathmandu. Ujyalo Nepal Party Chairman and former minister Kulman Ghising has strongly demanded that the government and the Nepal Electricity Authority immediately recover the premium electricity dues for dedicated and trunk lines in accordance with the law. He clarified that it is not acceptable for those who run industries by taking special facilities to evade their responsibilities when the general public is forced to live in the darkness of load shedding for up to 18 hours daily.

Posting on social media Facebook, Chairman Ghising mentioned that it is not only a legal obligation but also a moral responsibility for industrial customers who consumed electricity with special facilities during the load shedding period to pay the premium dues they are legally required to pay. He recalled that when he was the Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority in the past, there was interference from the then political leadership in the process of recovering dues, and he was even subjected to action because of it. He claimed that despite facing political interference and action, his commitment to the state's interest and the implementation of the law never weakened.

Ghising stated that one of his first decisions after taking charge of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation was to accelerate the recovery of dues for dedicated and trunk lines. He mentioned that accordingly, he gave clear instructions to the management, passed by the Nepal Electricity Authority's board of directors, to strictly proceed with the recovery process in accordance with the law.

In the initial phase, due to the strict stance of the authority, most industries paid the first installment of the dues. However, Ghising expressed serious concern that the recovery process has not been effectively advanced in the subsequent phases. He has made public through social media that industries that had started paying installments have now started withholding payments, and due to this, the amount that should come into the state treasury is increasing day by day.

Insisting that the law should be the same for everyone, Ghising said, 'No one should be exempted from their responsibilities based on influence, access, or pressure.' He stated that this issue, which was deliberately made controversial due to political interference in the past, should not be entangled again under any pretext.

He warned that recovering billions of rupees that should come into the state treasury is the constitutional and legal responsibility of the government and the concerned bodies, and therefore, no compromise should be made on this. Urging the government and the authority to immediately proceed with the recovery process of premium dues for dedicated and trunk lines in accordance with the law, he firmly urged the concerned industries to fulfill their obligations by utilizing the installment facility available. Stating that no one is above the rule of law and the interest of the state, he drew the attention of the stakeholders to recover the dues justly without faltering.