KATHMANDU, June 9:Trade unions of employees at Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) cut power supply to ministers´ quarters in Pulchowk for two hours on Sunday as part of their protest against the NEA board´s decision to upgrade the capacity of the Upper Trishuli 3 ´A´ hydropower project from 60 to 90 MW.
“We will continue to cut power supply to the ministers´ quarters on Monday and Tuesday as well,” Ram Prasad Rimal, chairman of NEA Employees´ Union, told Republica.
All four trade unions of employees at NEA — NEA Employees Association, NEA Employees Union, NEA Employees Council and Nepal National Employees Association – are protesting the decision.
The unions on Saturday turned away the NEA management´s proposal for talks. They reached the talk venue on Sunday only to find the coordinator of the board´s talk team absent.
“Our demand is clear. We won´t withdraw protest until the NEA board scraps its decision to upgrade capacity of the project,” added Rimal.
The run-of-the-river project, which is being developed by Chinese contractor China Gezhouba Group Company Limited, is courting controversy after the NEA board decided to upgrade the capacity by violating the existing rules.
Meanwhile, NEA employees staged pen down protest in NEA head office on Sunday.
Source : Republica
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Warning to stop power supply to Singha Durbar
KATHMANDU: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) employees’ union and associations have warned of cutting up power supply to Singha Durbar, the major administrative hub of the country of the decision to upgrade the capacity of Upper Trishuli A hydropower project was not withdrawn.
The employees union and associations, that are protesting against the decision, have urged the government to withdraw the decision and thereby facilitate the environment for an amicable solution.
“Power supply to Singha Durbar will be stopped if the government does not withdraw the decision immediately”, said President of NEA Employees’ Union Ram Prasad Rimal.
As part of the agitation, power supply to the Ministers’ quarter in Pulchowk, Lalitpur was cut off today afternoon, he added.
It may be noted that the NEA Board of Directors on May 31 had decided to upgrade the capacity of Upper Trishuli A to 90 megawatts from the existing 60 megawatt.
Four employees Union and Associations have been organising a series of protest programmes against the decision, and have warned of increasing the severity of the form of protest programmes.
Meanwhile, the Nepal Students’ Union staged a sit-in at the NEA Central Office in Ratna Park today against the alleged ‘illegal’ decision to increase the capacity of the hydropower project.
Source : RSS
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