Upper Trishuli 3 A Capacity Upgradation

KATHMANDU, JUN 03 -

Protesting against the recent Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) decision to upgrade the capacity of Upper Trishuli 3 A Hydropower Project, four employees’ unions staged demonstration s on the premises of NEA’s central office on Sunday, baring senior officials from entering the office.

The unions said the move to upgrade the project’s capacity is guided by the “intention to obtain undue financial benefits”.

An NEA Board meeting chaired by Energy Minister Umakan Jha on Friday decided to upgrade the project’s capacity from 60 MW to 90 MW.

Under their first phase of protest, the unions—Nepal National Employees Association (NNEA), NEA Employees Council, NEA Employees Association and NEA Employees Unions—on Sunday prevented managing director, board members and executive directors of NEA from entering their offices.

NEA Employees Union Chairman Ram Prashad Rimal said they did not allow any NEA vehicles from entering or going out of the office. “Almost 800 employees abandoned their work and participated in the sit-in from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm,” he said.

An official of NEA Employees Council said in fear of facing the protesters, NEA Managing Director Rameshwor Yadav did not attend the office. “We also seized his vehicle from Gwarko and brought it to the central office,” he said, adding the unions will continue the protest until the NEA board terminates the decision. Rimal said the sit-in will continue through Tuesday. “If our demand is not addressed by Tuesday, we will introduce the second round of protest, which will be sterner,” Rimal.

The trade unions had been warning the NEA management and the board to not increase the project’s capacity since beginning, saying doing so will do more harm than good to the country. “The project contract had been awarded under the Engineering, Procurement and Constructing (EPC) model for the first time in Nepal, according to which the construction and cost of the project cannot be revised,” read a joint statement issued on Saturday.

The NEA board on Saturday had published a notice in national daily newspapers with justification for the upgradation of the project’s capacity.

Meanwhile, a high-level NEA official said the management committee and the board had taken the decision one-sidedly. “So much so that the NEA officials do not even know who and how the noticed was published.”

Source: The Kathmandu Post