NEA Cash Counters Inadequate

Unavailability of cash counters in rural parts of Ilam district has caused much inconvenience to electricity customers.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has put cash counters only in Pashupatinagar, Fikkal and the district headquarters, forcing customers living in large swathes of the district to visit these places to pay electricity bills. The electricity authority has a reason for establishing cash counters only in the designated places.

"Apart from these four places, there are no banks in other parts of the district and the money collected from customers remains at risk," said Bed Prasad Sapkota, an official of the NEA''s Ilam branch office.

However, locals are not content with NEA's explanation. "Electricity network has been expanded to more than 36 VDCs, but cash counters are confined to only three places. This is unfair," said Krishna Rijal, a local of Mangalbare. While customers of the eastern parts come to Fikkal and Pashupatinagar, people of other areas go to the district headquarters to pay electricity bills queuing up for hours. NEA has 14,000 customers in Ilam.