KATHMANDU: Maoist Center lawmaker Sudan Kirati has said that public dissatisfaction has grown following the removal of Kulman Ghising from the post of Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
Speaking during the zero hour of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Kirati raised concerns about recurring power outages and questioned whether the country was facing an unannounced load-shedding.
“I recently visited several areas in eastern Nepal, and I witnessed power cuts in many places. People there clearly linked the outages to Kulman’s dismissal,” he said. “Is this an undeclared load-shedding? Or is it the result of mismanagement within the authority?”
Kirati also questioned the motive behind recent developments within the NEA. Referring to the white paper presented by the new leadership, which showed the authority as being in financial trouble, he asked whether this was part of a plan to privatize it.
“An institution that was profitable under Kulman now suddenly appears to be in crisis, according to the new leadership,” Kirati said. “What message are we supposed to take from this? Is this a step toward selling the authority off cheaply?”
He concluded with a sharp warning to the government. “I urge the government not to mislead the public with tales like that of the cunning fox who blamed a bird flying in the sky for the theft of a chicken on the ground,” he said. “The people will no longer be fooled. If the government pursues this path, it will be a serious misfortune for the nation. I strongly warn against it.”
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