Former NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising Criticizes Government Over Power Outages

Kathmandu. Former Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority and Chairman of Ujyalo Nepal Party, Kulman Ghising, has expressed serious concern over the problem of frequent power outages. He has criticized the government, stating that the problem cannot be solved by keeping the authority leadershipless for a long time.

Issuing a press statement, Ghising mentioned that while power interruptions due to technical reasons during the monsoon are natural, it is essential to have a capable and decisive leadership to address them immediately. "It is unfortunate that the country's most important public institution, Nepal Electricity Authority, has been operating on an acting basis for a long time," he said.

Ghising accused the government of trying to evade responsibility by forming committees when problems arise, instead of providing capable leadership to the institution. He stated sternly, "The electricity system does not run by forming committees; it requires decisive leadership. The public ultimately has to bear the cost of administrative confusion and political interference."

Arguing that the energy sector should not be turned into a political laboratory, Ghising said that the lack of leadership has affected employee morale and impacted long-term plans. He urged the government to prioritize energy security and immediately provide the authority with full-time, capable, and autonomous leadership.

"Trying to cover up the lack of leadership with the guise of technical problems is not a solution," Ghising said, "If the current problem is not resolved, it will certainly lead to a serious institutional crisis in the future."

He also drew the government's attention to the need to quickly complete the under-construction transmission and distribution systems, modernize the system, and focus on regular maintenance and repair, not just for problem-solving but also for leadership. He believes that ensuring institutional stability by providing the authority with prompt, empowered leadership is the main requirement at present.