Kathmandu, July 26: Ujyalo Nepal Party Chair Kulman Ghising has urged the government to immediately recover billions of rupees in outstanding electricity dues from industries that used dedicated and trunk lines during the load shedding period.
In a social media post on Saturday, Ghising questioned why the government, which has prioritised good governance during its first year in office, has remained silent on collecting the unpaid premium electricity charges.
He asked why the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation and the Nepal Electricity Authority have failed to recover the remaining dues from industries that have already paid the first instalment.
Ghising said political interference had stalled the recovery process in the past. With the current government enjoying a near two thirds majority, he argued that no obstacle should prevent authorities from enforcing the law and collecting the dues.
He also opposed attempts to reopen an administrative review that has already been completed, saying such moves only create confusion and weaken the rule of law.
Ghising criticised what he described as the government’s double standard. While it has imposed an additional 5 per cent value added tax on households consuming more than 50 units of electricity a month, it has shown little urgency in recovering billions owed by industries, he said.
According to Ghising, applying the law strictly to ordinary consumers while showing leniency towards large businesses is unjustifiable and casts doubt on the government’s commitment to good governance.
He urged the government to begin recovering the outstanding dues without delay, saying the credibility of its good governance agenda depends on enforcing the law equally and safeguarding state revenue.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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