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The Balen Shah-led government appears determined to recover the controversial dues of dedicated feeders that have remained unsettled for years.

Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha on Monday directed the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to prioritize dues collection in its daily worklist to expedite recovery of unpaid amounts. The NEA board has already revived an administrative review committee to take the matter forward.

In a meeting held at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Minister Shrestha stated that since an administrative review committee has been formed, no further decisions or instructions are required to recover outstanding fees for dedicated feeder and trunk lines.

“As the review committee has been formed, the electricity tariffs, fines, and other issues can be revisited through the committee, while the NEA also needs to maintain the issue under its lists of to-do work on a regular basis,” he said.

The Office of the Auditor General, in its 63rd annual report, has asked the government to recover arrears of over Rs 50 billion related to electricity usage. These include dues of internet service providers, industrial estates, street lamps, and dedicated feeders and trunk lines.

Recently, the NEA formed a new committee led by Krishna Basnet, allowing concerned industrialists to review the controversial dues accumulated over the past decade under the dedicated feeder and trunk line system.

The review process was initially launched in March 2024 by then Energy Minister Deepak Khadka during the KP Sharma Oli-led government. However, the committee was dissolved in October the same year by then NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising.

The dispute dates back to August 2015, when the NEA introduced premium tariffs for industries receiving uninterrupted electricity supply through dedicated feeders and trunk lines during a period of severe load-shedding. Under the arrangement, high-energy-consuming industries were required to pay additional charges on top of regular electricity tariffs.

The NEA has been attempting to recover the outstanding dues for more than a decade, arguing that several industries failed to pay the premium charges for electricity consumed during peak load-shedding hours. Despite repeated notices and deadlines, many industrial users have refused to settle the payments.

After industrialists failed to respond to settlement calls, the NEA disconnected electricity supply to 23 manufacturing industries last year. The authority had offered industries the option of clearing their dues in up to 28 installments or seeking an administrative review of their bills.

The previous NEA leadership had also reduced the required deposit for the review process from 25 percent to 5 percent of the disputed amount to facilitate participation. Following the decision, 46 industries applied for administrative review. However, the process stalled amid political developments and the Gen Z-led protest.

On April 13 this year, the NEA, under the leadership of Executive Director Hitendra Dev Shakya, issued a fresh public notice directing industries with outstanding dues from mid-January 2016 to mid-May 2018 to clear their payments within the stipulated deadline.

Box: Govt unveils list of 61 firms with Rs 26.95 billion in dues

KATHMANDU, June 8: The government has unveiled a list of 61 consumers who consumed electricity through dedicated feeder/trunk lines and whose disputed outstanding dues have reached Rs 26.95 billion.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, the total outstanding bill amount, including interest and penalty, as of mid-December 2025 has crossed Rs 26.95 billion. The outstanding dues up to mid-July 2025 were recorded at Rs 26.33 billion.

Among the defaulters, Jagadamba Steel Pvt Ltd tops the list with arrears worth Rs 4.69 billion.