"We will also increase the hours of cutting power supply to ministers´ quarters in Pulchowk from two to four hours from Wednesday if the decision to upgrade the capacity is not rolled back," Ram Prasad Rimal, chairman of the NEA Employees´ Unions, said. The unions have been cutting power supply to ministers´ quarters for two hours per day since last week.
The four trade unions at the state-owned electricity company have been protesting against the NEA board´s decision to upgrade the capacity of Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project from 60 to 90 MW stating that the decision is not in the country´s interest.
To end the agitation, NEA board of directors held a meeting with representatives of employees´ unions on Tuesday.
"The meeting concluded without making any headway as our only demand is rolling back of the decision to upgrade the capacity of the hydropower project, and we stick to it," Rimal said.
During the meeting, Energy Minister Uma Kant Jha, however, said he would “take a decision on the matter", according to Rimal.
All the board members of NEA were present at the meeting except Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi.
"We have decided not to attend any other meeting with board members unless the decision to upgrade the capacity of the project is scrapped," Rimal said.
The run-of-the-river project that is being developed by Chinese contractor China Gezhouba Group Company Limited started courting controversy after NEA board decided to upgrade the capacity by violating existing rules.
The agitating employees´ unions are cutting power supply to NEA offices from 9 am to 3 pm every day. The employees´ unions are also staging pen down protest programs at NEA offices.
The four agitating employees´ unions include: the NEA Employees Association, the NEA Employees Union, the NEA Employees Council and the Nepal National Employees Association.
The NEA board decision to upgrade the capacity has been hugely criticized by senior political leaders of major political parties. Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, former finance minister and central committee member of Nepali Congress (NC), Prakash Sharan Mahat, former energy minister and NC central committee member, Surendra Pandey, former finance minister and politburo member of CPN-UML and Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani, another former minister and senior leader of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, had earlier submitted a memorandum to Regmi urging him to revoke the decision to upgrade the capacity of the project.
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