Kathmandu, May 21

Four former environment ministers have objected to the recent decision of the government to transfer the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre under the Ministry of Environment to the Ministry of Energy.

The Centre is the government body that has been focusing on environment protection, poverty alleviation and sustainable development through increased access to clean energy in the rural areas.

They have stressed that the Centre should be kept under the Ministry of Environment as it has been functioning effectively in its present structure with support from various donor agencies and the government. The former environment ministers also said the Centre has been playing significant role in reducing the dependence on traditional sources of energy.

Speaking in a programme here on Sunday, former environment ministers Hemraj Tated, Ganesh Shah, Sunil Manandhar and Thakur Sharma suggested that it would be better if the Centre’s current status and mode of functioning was retained.

They said that the Ministry of Energy whose main task is construction of mega electricity projects would not be able to pay due attention to the development of alternative energy.

The former ministers also expressed fear that transfer of the Centre from one ministry to the next might hamper its work and its current working relationship with the donor agencies.

They alleged that the decision to transfer the Centre was made in haste and without consulting the stakeholders and donor agencies.

The Centre was established in 1996 under the Ministry of Environment.

(RSS)