KATHMANDU: The Nepal Electricity Authority has disconnected the lines of 21,000 customers for non-payment of electricity bills. The NEA has been running a campaign to collect overdue electricity bills from defaulters across the country. Approximately Rs 500 million in overdue bills has been collected by cutting off the electricity lines.
Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, Kul Man Ghising, mentioned that efforts will be made to further strengthen the collection process after the festival season. As the outstanding electricity bills increase, distribution centers across the country have been cutting off the lines of customers with overdue bills.
As per the Electricity Tariff Regulations of 2078, a provision has been made to attract consumers to clear their bills in installments, ranging from 5% for a period of 16 to 30 days after meter reading, to 10% for 31 to 40 days. For bills pending beyond 40 days, consumers can be charged an additional 25% for up to 41 days and 60 days.
If the outstanding amount is not cleared within 60 days, there is a provision to put consumers who fail to pay their electricity bills on time into a blacklisted category and initiate legal proceedings ahead. Based on these regulations, the authority has formulated a strategy to cut off electricity lines if consumers fail to pay their outstanding electricity bills within 60 days.
The authority’s Executive Director of Distribution and Customer Service, Manoj Silwal, has emphasized that they will expedite the disconnection process with the support of technology. He urged customers to settle their outstanding bills promptly to avoid inconvenience.