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Control power leakage, says PM
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the Energy Ministry to take firm action to control electricity leakage and bring it down to 15 percent from the current 25 percent.Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the Energy Ministry to take firm action to control electricity leakage and bring it down to 15 percent from the current 25 percent.
Addressing a gathering attended by the energy minister, chief secretary, secretaries of the Energy, Finance and Home ministries and the
managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) on Monday, Dahal said that at least 10 percent of the leakage should be stopped within the next few months.
During the meeting, the prime minister ordered the concerned authorities to get tough against power theft and leakages.
“The state has to incur losses amounting to billions, and the public has to suffer from acute power shortages due to electricity leakage,” Dahal said. “If government employees are found involved in such activities, they must be punished; and if there are legal hurdles to punishing them, the government is ready to help.”
He added that the country’s economic development was possible only with the development of hydroelectricity and, in particular, large reservoir-type projects.
During the meeting, Energy Minister Janardan Sharma said his ministry had been actively working to end the power crisis in the country.
Sharma pointed out that the political sector had started obstructing the government’s campaign to end load shedding.
He told Prime Minister Dahal that local political parties had started obstructing the construction of the Raxaul-Parwanipur transmission line.
Meanwhile, NEA Executive Director Ghising said he had been focusing on ending load shedding by controlling the existing 25 percent leakage and finishing large projects on schedule.
The prime minister directed the security bodies to monitor those involved in the leakage of electricity and start taking stern action against them.