NEA unions to cut off power supply to Regmi residence

KATHMANDU, JUN 12 -

Agitating employees’ unions of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) on Tuesday said they will cut off electricity supply to official the residence of Interim Election Government Chairman Khil Raj Regmi at Baluwatar on Friday for two hours.

Announcing their third phase of protest programmes on Tuesday, the unions said they will continue their protest until the government rolls back the decision of upgrading the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project.

Nepal National Employees Association (NNEA), NEA Employees Council, NEA Employees Association and NEA Employees Unions have been protesting against the NEA board’s decision to upgrade the project’s capacity to 90 MW from the existing 60 MW.

The trade unions have been disconnecting power supply to ministers’ quarters at Pulchowk for last three days. “We have also decided to increase the blackout hours at minister’s residence by two more hours a day from Tuesday,” said NEA Employees’ Union Chairman Ram Prasad Rimal.

The protest has completely paralysed the NEA central office at Ratnapark since June 2, while NEA offices across the country have been partially affected.

Meanwhile, a dialogue between the trade union leaders and the NEA board on Tuesday ended inconclusively. However, Energy Minister Umakant Jha promised to consider the unions’ demand “seriously”, according to the union leaders and NEA board members taking part at the meeting. “After we did not back off, the minister finally said he would take our demand seriously,” said Rimal. “The minister, however, did not tell us what he meant by ‘seriously’.”

Source: The Kathmandu Post