Dhading, September 21
Dhading district administration office on Wednesday took chief of Nepal Electricity Authority’s Dhading branch office, Satya Narayan Gami, under control for a while, for not cutting off power supply to houses built on encroached forest land. The DAO released Gami on general date later in the day.
NEA Dhading employees protested against the DAO act by cutting off power supply throughout the district, hitting electricity consumers hard.
In mid-August 2016, Dhading district forest office had directed the NEA branch to cut off power supply to houses built on encroached forest land belonging to Amaravati community forest located at Nilkantha municipality.
Three days ago, Dhading DAO had written to the NEA branch, directing it to cut off power supply to the houses concerned. On Wednesday, DAO detained Gami for a while for not heeding its directive.
Imnath Poudel, chief of Dhading district forest office, told Onlinekhabar that Gami was detained for a while and released on general date. After Gami’s release, NEA employees resumed power supply.
NEA Dhading chief Gami said they had informed NEA’s regional directorate about the DFO letter. Gami said the directorate had directed his office not to cut off power supply and take action only after studying the matter further.
He said he acted as per this directive.
Radio Dhading, a Yoga camp, ICDC and two NGOs have encroached upon the said forest land. CPN-UML lawmaker Rajendra Pandey is a Radio Dhading investor. ICDC is an organisation working for the welfare of women victims of violence.
DFO staff suspect NEA Dhading employees may have been drawing certain benefits by not cutting power supply to the said organisations.
DFO employees suspect NEA Dhading employees may have been drawing certain benefits by not cutting power supply to the said organisations.
