Energy Minister directs NEA to ensure uninterrupted power supply during festivals

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet has directed Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to ensure regular power supply during the festivals like Dashain, Tihar, Nepal Sambat, Chhath and others.

The Minister called the NEA executive director Kulman Ghising, deputy executive director Manoj Silwal and Chief of the NEA's load-dispatch center Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai to his office in Singha Durbar, and directed them as well as the chiefs of the NEA's distribution centers within the Kathmandu Valley to make arrangements for regular power supply.

He directed NEA to distribute maximum power to the industries and enterprises during the festival time, and also suggested that the excess power is also not wasted.

The energy minister urged NEA to make its no-light centers more responsible, to make arrangements for receiving the phone calls from customers promptly and to manage a rapid team for reaching the consumer's house within minutes in case of any problem.

Minister Basnet is also the Chairperson of the NEA Board of Directors.

On the occasion, Ministry Secretary Gopal Sigdel directed the NEA executive director and other officials to provide services keeping the consumers in the center.

Executive director Ghising informed that human resources have been managed and will be mobilized in the Valley and urban areas round-the-clock.

He said that he will be monitoring and inspecting the distribution centers during the festival time, so that there will be no complaints from consumers.

"We have made efforts as far as possible to prevent wastage of power. Preparations have also been made to supply the excess power to the Indian market, but the final consent has not been received yet (from the Indian side)," he said.