Morang: Industrialists warn to lock up Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) if the problem related to electricity is not solved immediately along Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor. According to industrialists, NEA has disrupted power supply to the industrial area for more than 12 hours daily for the past few days without any notice.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Friday, the Morang Merchant Association, Industry Association and Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said that the industrialists have been facing major problems with electricity in recent times. They said that they would lock up the NEA if the power supply is not restored immediately.

"All the industries have been shut down as the power supply has been down for almost 24 hours since Wednesday,” said Nabin Rijal, President of Morang Merchant Association. “The industry has suffered huge losses due to unannounced power cuts. The goods that are in the machine and are being prepared for production are now useless.”

Rijal said that if the government does not solve the problem of electricity by Tuesday, they will be forced to padlock NEA on Wednesday and announce additional agitation programs from Thursday onwards.

The industrialists have also been demanding that the schedule of load shedding be made public, exploit maximum potential of domestic power generation capacity, ensure equitable distribution of electricity, abolish demand charges for electricity and find a solution through diplomatic initiatives. At least 500 industries along the Sunsari-Morang corridor have been affected due to the power outage.