UNBEARABLE
The Himalayan Times
28
December 2012
I am not surprised to read the news report
“Load-shedding hours go up” (THT, 26 Dec. Page 3) contradicting Prime Minister
Baburam Bhattarai’s pledge to limit the load shedding hours to 12 hours per
day. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) with much pride had announced that
the current load shedding hours has been increased from 69 hours to 84 hours a
week from Wednesday onwards. What a pity is this for the people of a country which
is the second richest country in the world in water resources? Whichever
political party ascends to the political helm assures the people about reducing
the load shedding hours during the dry seasons. So far, only Gokarna Bista, who
was the Energy Minister during Jhalanath Khanal’s premiership, was able to keep
his promise of reducing the load shedding significantly during the dry season.
The people have started smelling rats in
this load shedding game of NEA whether there are any involvement of kick backs
offered by the traders, who are engaged in trading inverters, UPS, power
generators and other electrical goods, to the NEA officials for increasing the
load shedding hours during dry season. There is every chances of raising fingers
looking closely at the irresponsible acts of NEA. Why don’t they plan in
advance and take necessary action to reduce the load shedding during the dry
season? Why don’t they initiate necessary action to import 40 MW electricity
from India in time? Why don’t they follow Gokarna
Bista’s way of working to reduce power leakages and other remedies to reduce
load shedding hours?
The political instability in the country
has been the main reason behind these immoral and insensible acts of state
owned entities. Time has come for the government and political parties to be sincere
and committed towards the nation and its people in order to avoid peoples’
extreme frustration that could explode any time should they continue to be
undermined.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Mahararjgunj, Kathmandu
