Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Kulman Ghising has brushed off the allegations that there was misappropriation of funds in the process to procure LED bulbs.

At a press conference organised in Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in Kathmadu on Tuesday, Ghising argued that the process to buy the bulbs was moved ahead according to the law.

Claiming that he has no vested interests other than ending the load-shedding, the NEA chief challenged the private sector involved in trading of LED bulb to provide such bulb at Rs 150 per unit.

Ghising made such statement amid accusation that the state-owned power utility is involved in irregularities in the proposed procurement of 20 million units of LED bulbs from Indian state-owned Energy Efficiency Service Limited (EESL) to sell it to its customers.    

He even promised to provide entire logistical support from the authority if any vendor manages to supply high quality LED bulb (of Philips or Osram or any other equally good brand) at price less than or equal to Rs 150 per unit.

“We will allow the vendors to use 200 sales counter of NEA as well as provide other logistical support like human resources,” said Ghising in an interaction programme organised by the NEA.  

The NEA is procuring the LED bulbs at Rs 104 per unit from EESL to sell them to its 3.5 million customers in a bid to replace CFL and incandescent bulbs being used by these customers currently.

The power utility will sell such bulbs at Rs 135 to 140 after levying customs duty and value added tax along with marginal handling charge.