PAC to return unrequested documents to NEA

KATHMANDU, Aug 9: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) under the House of Representatives has decided to return a large portion of documents submitted by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) that were not requested.

On Thursday, the NEA submitted over 100,000 pages of documents to the Committee. However, PAC Chairman Rishikesh Pokharel stated that the Committee will only review the documents it specifically asked for and return the rest.

“We requested data on ‘Time of Day’ (TOD) meters for a disputed period involving 61 industries, reports from the committee of former directors Bhakta Bahadur Pun and Manoj Mishra, and a progress report on decisions made by the NEA’s Board of Directors,” Chairman Pokharel said.

The Committee's secretariat will review the submitted documents to identify those that are relevant. Unrequested documents will be sent back to the NEA.

“We will only study the documents we specifically asked for and will not keep unnecessary ones,” Pokharel added.

The PAC already has access to various reports, evidence, and legal documents concerning the dedicated and trunk lines, including reports from five previous committees and commissions, and the Auditor General’s report on outstanding amounts.

Chairman Pokharel also noted that the NEA had failed to provide the specific TOD meter data requested. Although NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising delivered a truckload of documents, including log sheets, TOD meter data, court orders, a Power ledger, and invoices, the critical TOD meter data for the disputed period was missing.