Kulman Ghising, the Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), did not submit the 15-point clarification sought by the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation within the given deadline on Wednesday, October 23.
Energy Minister Deepak Khadka had asked Ghising on October 9 to provide the details of various activities carried out by the NEA over the past four years, with the submission deadline set for Wednesday. However, Ghising stated that he was unable to submit the details within the given time frame.
"The Ministry gave me a 15-day deadline to submit the report. Shortly after, we had around a week off due to the Dashain holidays, causing delays in receiving the required information from provincial offices. I have requested all the necessary details, and once everything is ready, I plan to submit the report within the next two or three days," Ghising told New Business Age.
Minister Khadka's demand for the report followed growing tensions between him and Ghising. According to sources, the relationship between the two soured after the NEA did not transfer staff according to the minister’s preferences. Khadka was reportedly displeased when his preferred individual was not included in the NEA’s recent staff transfers.
The NEA board meeting, which is generally held in consultation between the chairman and the executive director, was earlier called by a joint sectary at the ministry under the minister’s directive. Minister Khadka even cancelled a meeting scheduled before Dashain at the last minute, further indicating the strained relationship.
Ghising’s efforts to recover overdue payments from industries for using trunk lines and dedicated feeders have reportedly not been well-received by the political leadership. On July 21, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli openly criticized Ghising during a session of the House of Representatives, defending industries that had not paid their dues. However, Minister Khadka has not taken a clear stand on the issue. With both Oli and Khadka dissatisfied with Ghising, many believe the 15-point clarification is part of an effort to remove him from the NEA leadership.
However, during a press conference on Wednesday to mark the minister’s 100 days in office, Khadka denied any rift with Ghising. He claimed there were no disagreements between them regarding the recovery of overdue payments from industries.
"The issue of overdue payments has already reached the parliamentary committee. We expect a decision from the committee. We are in ongoing discussions with the ministry, NEA, and the concerned industries regarding this matter," Khadka said. "We are also discussing how we can collect the payments from the industries on an individual level, and evidence is being gathered to support the consumption of electricity by these industries."
The deadline for the industries to pay their overdue bills also expires on Thursday (today, October 24), making it a point of interest to see what action the government and NEA will take.
The 15-point directive requires Ghising to submit details related to NEA’s employee service regulations, financial management regulations, and the decisions made by the board of directors over the past four years. It also asks for information on the authority delegated to the executive director by the board, agreements and memoranda of understanding signed with business entities from neighbouring countries, and the share structure of NEA’s subsidiary companies and their board representatives.
Additionally, the directive seeks financial details of the NEA’s subsidiaries for the past four years, information on projects where the NEA has signed purchase agreements but not yet received electricity, updates on negotiations with the Khimti-1 Hydropower Project regarding ownership transfer, and details of the dedicated feeder/trunk line overdue payments. The directive also asks for updates on transformers purchased but not yet installed, smart meter installations, and pending financial irregularities.
