Residents of Susta in West Nawalparasi will be able to connect electricity even if they do not have citizenship or Lalpurja. Even though the national transmission line has been reached through a 1,571 meter long suspension bridge in Susta village, ward number-5 of Susta rural municipality, most of the residents of Susta have not been able to install electricity meters due to the lack of Lalpurja and citizenship.
After reaching the village with electricity and not being able to turn on the lights, the locals have been demanding the installation of electricity meters as per the recommendations of the local level in the administration and the electricity office. However, due to the lack of necessary documents, the electricity office did not install the electricity meter and even cut off the power line which had reached a dead state because the meter was not connected.
State MP and Forest and Environment Minister of Lumbini Province Devkaran Jaishwal, acting chairman of 'Susta Bachau Abhiyan' Adam Hussain, spokesperson Ravindra Jaishwal, and a team led by the executive director of Electricity Authority, Kulman Ghising, submitted a memorandum demanding installation of electricity meters. While understanding the memorandum, the executive director Ghising instructed the subordinate agencies to install electricity meters based on the recommendations of the local level, even if there is no citizenship or Lalpurja, campaign spokesperson Jaiswal said.
"According to our demand, the executive director has instructed to install the meter on the recommendation of the local level," said Jaiswal, "now residents should not be deprived of meter installation." But, the issue of free electricity has also progressed.'
On October 10th, in the program of inaugurating the bridge and electrification of the Narayani River along with President Ramchandra Paudel, Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka announced that the residents of Susta will be exempted from the minimum electricity tariff for one year.
