Kathmandu: The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has issued a circular to all metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities, municipalities and rural municipalities, requesting them to clear the electricity dues of street lights to Nepal Electricity Authority without delay.

According to Municipality Management Section at the MoFALD, the circular was issued in response to a complaint received from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The OPMCM directed the MoFALD to settle the issue after a complaint was filed with Hello Sarkar regarding the electricity dues worth tens of millions of rupees yet to be paid by some local levels to NEA.

The OPMCM said municipalities and rural municipalities had dues worth four billion rupees payable to the NEA for supplying electricity to street lights. Biratnagar, Hetauda, Janakpur, Kathmandu, Butwal, Pokhara, Nepalgunj and Attariya regional office of NEA have yet to recover electricity tariff equivalent to approximately Rs 4.90 billion.

Though 50 per cent subsidy has been granted in electricity tariff for operation of cold storage under the Ministry of Agricultural Development, the NEA has not received Rs 160 million from the government.

The complaint also claimed that the electricity dues of various ministries and government agencies had reached Rs 430 million until mid-July of 2017.

“The NEA disconnects electricity supply if the general public fails to pay the electricity bills on time. It is surprising why the NEA could not recover the dues of tens of millions of rupees from the government agencies. The NEA should muster up the courage to initiate legal action against  government offices which are not paying the dues intentionally,” read the complaint forwarded to the MOFALD by the PMCM.