The motion proposed by lawmaker Prakash Chandra Lohani of Rastriya Janashakti Party and seconded by Ramji Prasad Sharma of CPN-UML and Gagan Thapa of Nepali Congress (NC) was endorsed unopposed at the House meeting.[break]
Tabling the motion, Lohani fiercely criticized the government preparations to install diesel plant as a solution to address power shortage. Saying that such an idea would cost the country dearly, he suggested to the government to give top priority to complete the under-construction projects in the country, to control power theft and leakage from the national grid and to import electricity from India.
"The country can´t afford to buy and operate a diesel plant and we may go for a coal plant instead," Lohani said at the House meeting.
Former minister of state for energy Sharma echoed Lohani and emphasized the need to control power theft. "It is possible to decrease load-shedding hours significantly if the government works as per the report prepared during our tenure," he claimed.
NC leader Thapa urged the political parties to formulate a national policy on power generation keeping aside the party, group and personal interests.
Former Finance Minister Surendra Pandey of UML also criticized the government for preparing to set up thermal plant without consulting other political parties and not listening to the feedbacks from the experts. Airing their views at the meeting several lawmakers came down heavily on the government for preparing to set up diesel plant.
However, Minister for Energy Posta Bahadur Bogati, while responding the lawmakers´ query, argued that there is no alternative other than to import electricity from India or to set up diesel plant to address the ongoing power shortage immediately.
The House meeting that was obstructed in the previous days resumed Thursday after the agitating lawmakers from dalit communities and the government reached a five-point agreement earlier in the day.
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