Consumers face problems to pay electricity bills in Doti

DIPAYAL: Sounds ridiculous but it is the fact that Goyeche Nepali of Tikhatar VDC of Doti district reached Dipayal, district headquarters of Doti, paying Rs 700 as transportation fare just to pay an electricity bill of Rs 80.

She did not have even extra money to return to her home as the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) office in Dipayal charged her extra amount as fine due to delay.

The NEA has a rule to pay the electricity bill on the first week of the month.

Same had happened to the Rebati Pujari of Jijodamandu.

This is the story of not only two people but all the villagers facilitated with electricity have been facing same problems.

The NEA has fixed Rs 80 as minimum charge per month for using electricity.

However, local Dal Bahadur Nepali of Durgamandu informed that they have to bear extra expenditure of Rs 2000/3000 while going to pay the electricity bills.

Most of the VDCs in the district do not have transportation facilities and people are compelled to walk many hours to reach the district to pay the electricity bills.

People of Durgamandu, Banleka, Barbata, Tijali, MudaBhara, Kapalleki, Ranagau,Latamandu, Mahadevsthana, Kalikasthan, Dahakalisthan, and BaJhakkani have been passing through same difficulties, informed Tek Bahadur Khadak, Officer at the Doti small hydro power project.

The NEA has not opened electricity bill counters in the villages due to lack of security, Khadka further informed.

The NEA office of Dipayal has recently stopped to deploy a mobile team to the collect the money in the villages after it increased expenses and also obstruct regular works in the office.

However, the service seekers are asking for the mobile team or electricity bill counters in the villages to solve the existing problems.

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