KATHMANDU: Officials of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) have called on Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Pampha Bhusal to resolve the ongoing trunk and dedicated line tariff dispute as soon as possible.

A team led by FNCCI President Shekhar Golchha held a meeting with the Energy Minister Bhusal on Tuesday, according to a FNCCI statement. Officials of the federation have requested the bodies concerned to take necessary initiative to resolve the tariff dispute saying that the industries have been further discouraged as they have received letters asking them to pay millions of rupees as exemption bill even though they have been paying the tariffs as per the prevailing law.

Minister Bhusal said that necessary decisions will be taken regarding this dispute by understanding the legal and other procedures. She expressed her commitment to make a decision after conducting necessary study on the issue of tariff for energy consuming industries.

The task force formed to study the electricity tariff dispute has recommended raising the arrears of trunk and dedicated line but the industrialists have been saying that they cannot pay. Dedicated and trunk line arrears of around Rs 10 billion before the end of load shedding have been a long-standing dispute.