Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has started to disconnect power supply to defaulters.

Energy Minister Janardan Sharma has directed the NEA to cut electricity supply to 10 defaulting customers.

NEA’s Ratnapark Distribution Centre on Sunday disconnected the supply to three customers, including Mahendra Manjil, the residence of former Queen Mother Ranta Rajya Laxmi Shah. “We disconnected the power supply to Mahendra Manjil as it failed to pay dues worth more than Rs3.7 million,” said Tanka Prasad Shrestha, chief at NEA’s finance department. “We have disconnected the supply to two other customers getting electricity from the Ratnapark Distribution Centre.”

On Friday, NEA’s Kuleshwor distribution centre had disconnected power supply to defaulters having overdue of more than Rs 2.27 million.

On the same day, the distribution centres at Attariya and Biratnagar disconnected the supply to 80 and 44 customers, respectively. “Dues of the 80 lines distributed through Attariya stood at more than Rs4.4 millions, while the 44 lines in Biratnagar have to pay more than Rs3.6 millions,” said Shrestha.

NEA Managing Director Mukesh Raj Kafle said the authority’s drive to disconnect power supply will continue.

However, the authority will not immediately disconnect the power supply to hospitals, offices of security agencies and government offices. “We will continue disconnecting the supply to defaulters as directed by the energy minister,” said Kafle. “But in the case of hospitals and government offices, we will publish a notice giving them seven days to clear their dues. If they fail to make payment within the time, we will start disconnecting their power supply too.”

Government offices, including the offices of local bodies, are the biggest defaulters. The authority has to recover Rs3 billion from various local bodies for the electricity supplied to street lights alone. “It will be really difficult for us to disconnect power supply to street lights as it will be an issue of road security,” said Kafle.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) office alone has to pay Rs900 million to NEA. “The authority and KMC have formed a joint committee to find a way out,” said Kafle.