Kulman Ghising says entire state power was used to remove him

Kathmandu / April 4: Former managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Kulman Ghising on Friday claimed that the state apparatus was mobilised to remove him from the position.

Speaking at a press conference in Kathmandu, Ghising said ‘responsible state officials’ used the Parliament’s rostrum to attack him. His remarks appeared to refer to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Energy Minister Deepak Khadka, both of whom had criticised Ghising in Parliament recently.

“How did the entire state power turn against an employee working as mandated by Nepal’s law? For whom they wanted to serve by targeting me? The Nepali people are clear about that,” he said. “The responsible figures used Parliament’s rostrum to insult the NEA’s managing director. The people of Nepal witnessed that first-hand.”

Ghising said that despite his dismissal from the NEA’s position, his duty as a responsible citizen would continue.

“The love and blessings of the Nepali people have not let me feel defeated. I have only left the NEA, not my responsibilities as a citizen,” he said.

He added that the government’s move neither discouraged nor provoked him. “As an honest civil servant, I have nothing to regret when reviewing my tenure. I never misused my authority or wasted any opportunity,” he said.

A Cabinet meeting on March 24 dismissed Ghising, who had only four months remaining in his tenure, from his position as NEA’s managing director. Hitendra Dev Shakya has replaced him.

Ghising moved the Supreme Court on March 27, challenging the government decision and seeking its annulment.

The court however refused to issue an interim order to reinstate him as sought by him.

A bench of justices Kumar Chudal and Nityananda Pandey on Thursday ruled that the issue would be resolved during the final hearing of the case stating that there would be no interim order at this stage. However, the court prioritised the case, issuing a directive to expedite the case.

Energy Minister Khadka and Ghising were at loggerheads over various issues, mainly about recovering dues worth billions of rupees from industrialists for using dedicated power supply in the past.

On October 24 last year, NEA cut off power to several industrial firms for their unpaid electricity bills accumulated during the load-shedding period between July 2015 and June 2020. This move drew strong criticism from the government.