KATHMANDU: Kulman Ghising, Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for over seven years, has consistently made headlines in the media.
However, internal issues and unfinished tasks plague the NEA under his leadership.
Despite his popularity, Ghising has not made significant contributions to revitalizing Nepal's electricity sector.
The NEA has struggled to provide affordable and reliable electricity. Consumers, both industrial and residential, frequently experience unannounced power cuts, and the construction of essential transmission lines has been delayed.
The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation formed a three-member expert committee to investigate the invoices issued by the NEA for users of dedicated feeders and trunk lines.
This committee is tasked with recalculating these invoices based on the Time of Day (TOD) meter system, following recommendations from the commission led by Girish Chandra Lal and a Cabinet decision.
The Lal Commission report outlines key issues such as definitions, objectives, tariff determination criteria, and relevant court rulings regarding dedicated and trunk lines.
It states that arrears for these services should be collected based on TOD meters. Previously, the NEA charged premium fees—up to 65%—to select private industries and public facilities to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply during peak load-shedding times.
Minister Khadka confirmed that the commission's report would take effect upon its public release.
The Ministry is facilitating discussions between the NEA and users to establish payment systems based on actual usage, as cutting off electricity is not seen as a viable solution.
The report categorizes usage periods for dedicated feeders and trunk lines into three phases: July to December 2015, January 2016 to April 2018, and May 2016 to 2022.
It specifies that arrears from the January 2016 to April 2018 period should be collected separately, while those from before 2015 will follow court rulings.
The issue of load-shedding ceased after April 2018, according to Energy Secretary Suresh Acharya, who emphasized that outstanding fees would be recovered per the report's recommendations.
Additionally, the construction of the Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Inaruwa 400 kV and Hetauda-Bharatpur-Bardaghat 220 kV transmission lines has been ongoing for over a decade, far exceeding the initial three-year completion plan.
This prolonged delay has contributed to the ongoing disputes regarding dedicated and trunk line services, causing frustration among industrialists.
Under Ghising’s management, the NEA has sent bills to industries without sufficient justification.
Major projects like Upper Tamakoshi, Rasuwagadhi, Madhyabhotekoshi, and Sanjen hydropower have faced delays, with many contracts awarded to Ghising's relatives and associates.
Moreover, Ghising has failed to address frequent power outages and low voltage issues in other distribution areas. Conflicts of interest in contract awarding and mismanagement of NEA resources have also been cited, with allegations of misuse of vehicles and authority.
The Ministry's newly formed committee, led by Professor Arvind Kumar Mishra from the National College of Engineering, includes Chartered Accountant Sujan Kumar Kafle and Shriramraj Pandey.
Their mandate is to collect and verify evidence related to tariff arrears for dedicated feeder and trunk line users, based on the recommendations of the Girish Chandra Lal-led commission and Cabinet decisions.
