KATHMANDU, Aug 4: The government has dismissed Kapil Acharya and Bhakta Bahadur Pun from their positions as directors of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). Their appointments were made through the quotas of the CPN (Unified Socialist) and CPN (Maoist Center), and the decision was carried out by Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Minister Deepak Khadka.

On July 31, Minister Khadka had sought explanations from both directors for their lack of cooperation in implementing directives related to the dedicated and trunk line dispute. The explanations provided were deemed unsatisfactory, leading to their dismissal on August 2.

The controversy began on July 22, when the NEA Board of Directors decided to reconnect power lines to six industries that had been previously disconnected due to the dispute. Acharya and Pun had dissenting opinions on this decision. Their non-compliance with the government's and the Electricity Regulatory Commission’s instructions—specifically their notes of dissent against the reconnection order—was seen as contrary to legal requirements and government directives.