Strike over Ghising recall hits normal life

RASUWA, JUL 25 -

An indefinite strike called by Rasuwa locals since Friday demanding the reinstatement of Chilime Hydropower Company’s former Managing Director Kulman Ghising has affected the normal life.

While the number of service seekers at government offices has gone down significantly due to the transportation strike , construction work has come to a complete halt at all three subsidiary projects of Chilime.

The locals of Chilime, Goljung, and Gatlang VDCs have said they would continue with the strike until their demands are met.

They have been holding rallies and sit-in at project area and offices in Thambuchet and Syafru.

In a press statement, the locals have also warned they would not to let anyone sent as Ghising’s replacement enter Gojung, Gatlang, Syafru, and Thuman VDCs.

The local administration had broken the padlocks in all three offices, but the agitators padlocked the offices immediately after, according to locals.

While six NEA trade unions pressing for Ghising’s reinstatement, a sister organisation of the CPN-UML, Rasuwa, terming the transfer process “regular”, issued a statement, saying the banda organisers would be responsible for any fluctuation in Chilime share prices.

Ghising has been credited with leading the development of Chilime’s subsidiary projects, including 11MW Rasuwagadi, 103MW Bhotekohsi III, 42MW Sanjen and 14MW Upper Sanjen.

The agitators adopted strong measures after the NEA decided to curtail the authority of Chilime head. The Chilime board on Tuesday appointed new board members to the company’s three subsidiary projects, ending the MD’s representation on their boards. So far, the Chilime MD had been chairing the boards of the subsidiaries.

A group of agitators on Thursday vandalised a vehicle belonging to Division Road Office near Kalikasthan for defying the banda.

According to DRO Chief Buddhi Bahadur Tamang, the vehicle was carrying a staffer and five labourers.

Govt told to appoint NEA MD

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has directed the government to appoint a Managing Director (MD) at Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) without further delay, questioning the efficiency of officiating chief in the long-run.

In a directive issued to the government via the chief secretary, the anti-graft body has said running an institution like NEA, which is responsible for generating, transmitting and distributing energy, by an officiating head could cause negative consequences.

Stating that the overall performance of the NEA was hit in the absence of an executive chief, the CIAA said: “It is crystal clear a headless body cannot not yield desired outcomes, and overall development activities will be pushed to peril.” NEA officiating MD Ram Chandra Pandey is heading the state power utility since mid-June. The top post has remained vacant ever since the government transferred then MD Arjun Kumar Karki as regional administrator.

Source: The Kathmandu Post