Kathmandu, August 4
The Nepal government has dismissed two directors of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Kapil Acharya and Bhakta Bahadur Pun, who were appointed under the quotas of CPN (Unified Socialist) and CPN (Maoist Centre). This decision was taken by Minister of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Deepak Khadka.
The dismissal followed allegations of non-cooperation in implementing directives related to dedicated and trunk line disputes. On July 31, Minister Khadka sought explanations from both directors, which were deemed unsatisfactory, leading to their dismissal on August 2.
In mid-July, the NEA’s Board of Directors decided to reconnect electricity to six industries, despite ongoing disputes. Acharya and Pun had expressed dissent over this decision. They were later asked for explanations for their dissent against directives from both the Prime Minister and the Electricity Regulation Commission, which had ordered the reconnection of electricity.
Acharya received the dismissal letter on Sunday, coinciding with an invitation to an NEA Board meeting. The Ministry of Energy stated that, while the law allows for dismissal without explanation, legal precedents necessitate giving directors a chance to explain.
The NEA had disconnected power to six industries on July 9 due to a tariff dispute, and the power was reconnected on July 23 under specific conditions.
