The proposal forwarded by the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Rishikesh Pokharel recommending action against officials, including Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Kulman Ghising, for failing to collect arrears from electricity distributed through dedicated feeders and trunk lines has been put on hold for now.
The committee could not take any decision on the proposal on Sunday after MPs from the ruling Nepali Congress warned that they would write a 'note of dissent'.
On July 6, Kulman Ghising faced strong criticism from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the House of Representatives for collecting dues from industrialists without proper documentation. Pokharel, a CPN (UML) MP, insisted that action should be taken against Ghising for failing to collect more than Rs 21 billion in arrears from the industries.
Pokharel has been accused of meeting an industrialist who had not paid the dues at a hotel and prepared the proposal for action against Ghising with the help of the industrialist's lawyer. Meanwhile, Pokharel has denied the allegation. The proposal prepared by Pokharel, published online by various media outlets, suggests taking action against Ghising and others.
A source related to the NEA claimed that the proposal was intended to punish Ghising by any means necessary. During Sunday's meeting, MPs from the ruling Nepali Congress, as well as those from the CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Swatantra Party, and other parties, criticized Chairman Pokharel for pushing forward with the proposal. The meeting turned tense, with the ruling Congress MPs expressing reluctance to take an immediate decision. As a result, Chairman Pokharel adjourned the meeting.
Pokharel had proposed collection arrears exceeding Rs 21 billion and taking action against officials who failed to recover the arrears on time. However, MPs from the Maoist Center and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), along with NC lawmakers, argued that the focus should be solely on collecting the arrears rather than recommending action.
The main opposition Maoists demanded a vote on the committee’s decision. After Congress MPs expressed their intention not to follow Pokharel’s proposal, the chairman adjourned the meeting. The committee had prepared six points for decision, but the meeting ended without a resolution due to disagreements on matters such as taking action against NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising and sending a letter to the authority.
The previous government had formed a high-level judicial commission, led by former Supreme Court justice Girish Chandra Lal, to address this dispute. The commission had submitted its report last May.
Congress MP Rajendra KC suggested directing the government to collect dues from industrialists and questioned the validity of amounts determined by other bodies. MP Sanjay Gautam supported collecting arrears based on evidence from the Office of the Auditor General and called for an investigation into the lack of clear data and timely decisions.
UML Secretary and committee member Yogesh Bhattarai proposed questioning the then Prime Minister and Energy Minister about the decision on arrears. He suggested a special study and investigation into NEA officials. CPN (Unified Socialist) MP Prem Ale accused former Energy Minister in the non-imposition of tariffs and exemptions and suggested questioning him.
Is the Prime Minister in favour of collecting Rs 22 billion in arrears?
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who had previously criticised NEA leadership for attempting to collect arrears from the industrialists for the use of electricity through the trunk lines and dedicated feeders, has stated that the arrears should be Rs 22 billion instead of just Rs 6 billion. Oli wrote on Facebook that arrears should be collected without shutting down the industries or affecting employment and production. He asserted that there should be no discounts on the fees and demanded an explanation on why NEA did not collect Rs 22 billion in the past nine years.
