SHILLONG, MAY 4 : After a long spell of frequent load shedding, people may finally heave a sigh of relieve as NEEPCO will soon be restoring uninterrupted power to Meghalaya after the latter pays Rs 30 crore and additional Rs 20 crore for the next three months.
The payment arrangement was made during the meeting of NEEPCO with MeECL, state power department and the union ministry of power in Delhi on May 2.
Meghalaya commissioner & secretary ( in-charge power) Jopthiaw Lyngdoh told this website on Sunday that the power department will try its best to initially pay Rs 30 crore either on Monday or the subsequent days. He said, “As soon as we make payment of Rs 30 crore NEEPCO has agreed to restore power immediately.”
Lyngdoh said that he will try his best to see if payment of Rs 30 crore can be made on Monday otherwise NEEPCO will be paid in the next subsequent days. He also informed that the state government will be paying Rs 20 crore for the next three months as part of the effort of the state government to pay off the MeECL debt to the central power cooperation.
Lyngdoh also revealed that within three months while the government pays Rs 20 crore to NEEPCO it will work-out on plans as to how to make the rest of the payment of Rs 379 crore debt and bailout the MeECL.
NEEPCO had started regulating power to Meghalaya since last year as the MeECL had failed to pay off the pending dues for power purchase running to Rs 379 crore. With the central power corporation refusing to supply power to the state, the power scenario in the state became chronic with the MeECL forced to resort to long hours of load shedding throughout the state.
When chief minister Mukul Sangma intervened and asked NEEPCO chairman & managing director PC Pankaj to restore power and promised to pay Rs 30 crore as part of the Rs 379 crore MeECL debt, the latter refused asking Sangma to make a ‘handsome payment.’ He also put the ball in the union ministry of power court and said he would abide by the decision of the union government on ‘deregulating power to Meghalaya.”
Accordingly, the meeting between NEEPCO, MeECL, state government and the union ministry of power was held on May 2 in Delhi. – By Our Reporter
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