KATHMANDU, Jan 12:  Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided to resume power supply to industries.

The 960th meeting of the board of directors of NEA held on Friday morning decided to reconnect the electricity lines of the customers who have arrears due to consumption of electricity from dedicated feeder and trunk lines.

Earlier, the cabinet meeting had decided to give instructions to the authority to connect power lines to the industries where the lines were cut. In addition, the cabinet meeting has also formed an inquiry commission to investigate the electricity dispute related to the dedicated feeder and trunk line.

A meeting of NEA’s Board of Directors was held on Friday, saying that a letter regarding the decision of the cabinet meeting had been received from the Ministry of Energy on Thursday

A member of the Board of Directors of NEA said that the decision to connect the power lines to industries until a decision is made by the Government of Nepal is submitted from the inquiry commission formed by the cabinet meeting.

NEA had started disconnecting the power lines of the industries from 22nd December due to non-payment of electricity dues related to dedicated feeder and trunk lines. The industrial operators and workers also protested against that.

On Tuesday, the cabinet decided to set up a dedicated and trunk line dispute resolution commission under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court Justice Girish Chandra Lal and to give instructions to connect the cut lines in 24 industries until a decision is made according to the commission's recommendation. However, the executive director of NEA, Kulman Ghising, was delaying the implementation of that decision.

According to the decision of the cabinet, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation had instructed the NEA to connect the lines on Thursday. Although the letter with the instructions of the ministry reached the NEA on Thursday afternoon, Ghising did not implement it.

Four days after the decision of the cabinet, he called a meeting of the Board of Directors and made a decision in this regard. However, after the decision of the cabinet, two board meetings of the authority were held, but no decision was made regarding this.

According to the Commission of Inquiry Act 2026, the cabinet meeting has formed a three-member commission of inquiry under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court Justice Girish Chandra Lal, with the energy secretary and the industry secretary as members. The commission, which has Energy Secretary Gopal Sigdel and Industry Ministry Secretary Mukunda Prasad Niraula as members, has been mandated to study this problem and submit a report within a month.

Similarly, the cabinet also decided to direct the NEA through the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation to reconnect the power lines until a decision is made by the Government of Nepal on the recommendation of the commission of industrialists whose electricity lines were cut by NEA.

 
• NEA