Nepal TV station broadcasting night bulletin using ‘lantern’ to protest against power cuts
By ANIFriday, February 4, 2011
KATHMANDU - A top television network of Nepal has reportedly been broadcasting its nightly news bulletin in semi-darkness using a lantern to highlight the effects of massive power cuts.
Nepal is currently experiencing about 12 hours of power cuts daily.
Since the beginning of February, Kantipur Television has used only a kerosene lantern to light its 30-minute-long 7pm news bulletin, the BBC reports.
Tirtha Koirala, the head of Kantipur News, has said that they came up with the idea with the intention of pressurising the government to deal with the problem.
“We want the government to produce more electricity as soon as possible.o far we’ve been getting a very positive response from our audience, but nothing yet from the government,” Koirala said.
Despite having massive hydro-power potential, Nepal produces less than half its electricity needs. This is an indication that a 10-year civil war between Maoist rebels and the state, which ended in 2006, has led to little investment in Nepal’s power sector, the report said.
Meanwhile, the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority has said that the country is expected to experience such power-cuts everyday in the next few weeks.
Koirala, however, insisted that his television news bulletin would continue to broadcast in dim-light conditions till the government finds a solution to the problem. (ANI)
