New NEA chief Hitendra Dev Shakya assumes office

KATHMANDU: The newly appointed Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Hitendra Dev Shakya, assumed office on Tuesday evening. Employees of NEA welcomed Shakya by offering him garlands and flowers.

Shakya was appointed to the position by the cabinet on Monday. He replaces Kulman Ghising, who was sacked by the same cabinet meeting with a few months remaining in his four-year term.

The government led by KP Sharma Oli had appointed Shakya to the position for a four-year term in February 2021. However, after Oli’s government fell, the new coalition government of the Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) sacked him and appointed Ghising to the position in July 2021.

Shakya challenged the cabinet’s decision at the apex court in August of the same year. However, the court deferred the hearing into the case. His four-year term ended last month before the court could deliver its verdict.

Talking to reporters after assuming office, Shakya said the government has given him justice. He also assured that household consumers will not face power cuts.