Kathmandu: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka has directed electricity authorities to promptly recover outstanding dues related to dedicated feeder and trunk line services. The directive comes amid ongoing disputes over tariffs charged to industries for electricity supplied via these lines from January 2017 to April 2018.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Suresh Acharya, Chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission Dr. Ram Prasad Dhital, and Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Hitendra Dev Shakya were summoned to the Ministry. They were instructed to expedite the collection of these dues based on findings from a report by a committee led by former Supreme Court judge Girish Chandra Lal, which aimed to resolve the ongoing electricity tariff dispute.
The commission’s report recommended that arrears be collected after reviewing the TOD (time of day) meter data for the use of trunk line and dedicated feeders. While industrialists have expressed willingness to settle their electricity dues, they demand a re-examination of TOD meter data, as per a decision by the Council of Ministers on November 12 last year. However, disagreements persist over tariffs not calculated using TOD meters for services provided by the Nepal Electricity Authority.