Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has said that three more industries have paid the first installment in the dispute over the outstanding premium amount for consuming electricity through dedicated and trunk lines. According to the authority, Bhalwari Automatic Factory, SR Foods and SR Steel paid the outstanding amount on Tuesday. The authority has stated that electricity has been connected to these industries with the payment of the first installment.

The industries have paid the first installment of the premium fee for dedicated and trunk line usage from Magh 2072 to Baisakh 2075. SR Foods has an arrears of Rs 14.8 million, Bhalwari Automatic Factory has an arrears of Rs 3 million, and SR Steel Industries has an arrears of Rs 1.6 million. The industries have divided it into 28 installments and paid the first installment.

On Monday, Panchakanya Plastic Industry, Panchakanya Steel Industries, Siddhartha Pet Plant and Shyam Plastic operating in the Bhairahawa area had paid the first installment. Panchakanya Plastic has an arrears of Rs 2.463 million, Panchakanya Steel has an arrears of Rs 5.219 million, Siddhartha Pet Plant has an arrears of Rs 18.3 million and Shyam Plastic has an arrears of Rs 4.910 million. 

Even though the authority has said installments, the industrialists say that they have paid one installment as a deposit. "We have asked the industrialists who paid the money on Monday, and they have paid the first installment of 28 as per the agreement," said Raghunandan Maru, President of the Nepal Cement Manufacturers Association. 

The NEA had cut off electricity to 23 industries since 4 Kartik. According to the NEA, electricity is still cut off in 14 industries. Out of a total of 25 industries, 2 industries were already closed. Electricity was reconnected after Goenka Foods and Gharana Foods paid the installments in the middle of Tihar. On Monday, 4 and Tuesday, 3 industries paid the installments. 

A middle-of-the-road proposal was put forward in a discussion held on Monday between Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal, Energy Minister Kulman Ghising, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Anil Sinha, Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, and President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Chandra Prasad Dhakal to resolve the dedicated and trunkline arrears dispute.

In the discussion, it was agreed that the industrialists would pay one of the 28 installments of the amount that the Electricity Authority had previously asked them to pay under the installment system, considering it a ‘disputed amount’ rather than an ‘installment’, as a deposit, and that the electricity line would be connected immediately, after which they could proceed with the judicial process, including review and appeal. The agreement was not written, but verbal, said Federation President Dhakal.

The Federation stated that it has taken the initiative to connect electricity immediately as the industry has been cut off for a long time. The Federation stated in a press conference held on Tuesday that it has taken the initiative to connect the line immediately. Saying that the process of cutting and connecting lines has been going on in the industry for a long time, Federation President Dhakal said that it has taken the initiative to resolve the issue immediately.

‘In the dedicated and trunk line arrears dispute, the process of connecting and disconnecting lines had been going on in the industry for a long time,’ he said, ‘We had also taken the initiative not to cut the line, but to connect it in the cut state before. We have done it this time too.' He said that the entire economy was affected by the line being cut in the industry, so he took the initiative to connect the industry immediately.

'The line cut due to the dispute should be connected, I led on behalf of the private sector on Monday,' he said, 'After discussions with Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Sunday, I discussed with industrialists including Dhruv Thapa, Sulabh Agrawal. They had raised the main issues of keeping the lines as a deposit instead of installments, immediately connecting the lines and continuously providing administrative review, and being able to go through the judicial process.'

During the talks, Dhakal said that since there was no consensus on all issues, they agreed on keeping the lines as a deposit instead of installments, immediately connecting the lines and being able to go through the judicial process. 'My business friends trusted me. I went leading the private sector because the Prime Minister's Secretariat asked me to come alone,' he said.

Dhruv Thapa, outgoing president of the Nepal Cement Manufacturers Association, said that the situation had reached a terrible state in 15 days when the lines of 25 industries were cut. ‘If it had been extended for 1/2 day, it would have been a bigger problem,’ he said. He said that although the administrative review of the Electricity Authority was asked to continue, it could not be included during the talks. ‘We have cut the check as per the agreement of Monday. We are ready to pay the deposit,’ he said, ‘We have approved it. We have welcomed it.’