KATHMANDU: The central government secretariat in Singha Durbar that houses most of the ministries suffered an 18-hour power cut due to insulator failure on the main feeder line last evening.
The day’s work was badly hampered in all ministries and other offices except the office of the prime minister, according to officials. PMO building received electricity from the instant supply feeder, according to Bhattarai.
According to Bhanubhakta Bhattarai, Ratnapark Central Chief at Nepal Electricity Authority, Singha Durbar and Anamnagar areas suffered electricity outage after the main feeder line got its insulator punctured near the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology at around 8:00pm on Thursday. “Power supply resumed after NEA technicians fixed the problem at 2:00pm today,” he said.
Ministry officials, however, claimed that they were forced to shut down electronic equipment after 1:00pm on Thursday due to low-voltage power supply. “Most of the staff failed to operate their computers, printers and fax machines due to low voltage after lunch break yesterday,” a joint secretary at the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Civil Aviation said. The officials who deal with the Employees’ Provident Fund from a building of the Ministry of General Administration pasted a notice at the main entrance, saying they could not provide services due to power outage and also apologised to the service seekers for any inconvenience caused.
Officials at the Singha Durbar Secretariat Reconstruction Committee said there was no energy back-up or power generator available for most of the ministries, the central secretariat being a load-shedding free zone. “It took many hours to fix the problem, as NEA technicians traced some fault with the insulator only at around 1:00 pm,” NEA chief said.
The power outage also affected work at most of the government offices in Anamnagar and adjoining areas. “No financial transaction was made today due to lack of electricity,” officials at the Office of the Auditor General in Anamnagar said.
“Many service seekers and officials left Singha Durbar early, as offices close at 3:00 pm on Fridays,” they said.
Source : The Himalayan Times
