The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation appointed Devendra Karki and Mahendra Bahadur Gurung as board of directors of the Nepal Electricity Authority. Karki is former secretary at the Ministry of Energy and Gurung was the chief executive officer of Pancheshwar Development Authority.

The government appointed Karki and Gurung in the two posts that went vacant after the ministry removed Bhakta Bahadur Pun and Kapil Acharya from the board of directors on August 2. Karki and Gurung were also appointed the same day.

Acharya and Pun were asked for written clarification on July 30 as they took a firm stand that the industries that didn’t pay the outstanding dues for using the electricity facility through dedicated and trunk lines should be cut and not be connected until they paid the dues.

Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka relieved both of them the day they submitted their clarification citing their answers were inadequate and not satisfactory.

They took a firm stand against resuming electricity supply to the industries despite Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s assurance to the industrialists that the public utility would resume the power supply to the industries despite the dues they owe to it.

In the meantime, Kulman Ghising, the managing director of the Authority, invited both Acharya and Pun at the meeting of the board of directors on Sunday evening.

The energy authority had cut off the power supply to six industries including Reliance Spinning Mills, Ghorahi Cement, Arghakhanchi Cement, Jagdamba Steel, Jagdamba Synthetics and Hulas Steel since July 9 for not clearing the due.

After constant pressure from Prime Minister Oli and the decision of the NEA Board, the power was resumed to the industries on July 24.

Earlier in January, the then Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government had formed a three-member committee led by a former Supreme Court Justice Girish Chandra Lal to study the issue and submit a report to the government.