The Meghalaya Energy Corporation Ltd (MeECL) requires a complete overhaul to put it back in order, UDP General Secretary Jemino Mawthoh told Highland Post today.
“What we need is overhauling of the system and to put the right people in the right jobs to streamline the functioning of the MeECL and to bring about corrective measures in the system because we need to have a futuristic plan and make a sincere effort to address these issues that have plagued the MeECL for a very long time,” Mawthoh said.
The UDP is an ally of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, though the power portfolio is held by the NPP’s James Sangma.
After two short periods of load shedding, Meghalaya was discombobulated by a third from yesterday because NEEPCO decided to ‘regulate’ its power supply to the State because MeECL had not paid its bills.
“The rank and file of the leaders of the UDP in different districts has expressed disappointment and disgruntlement at the way things are going as far as the power sector is concerned,” Mawthoh stated.
Although the latest round of load shedding should end shortly, as promised by Sangma, after the government used a central government loan to pay off its electricity suppliers, UDP leaders will hold a meeting to discuss the issue.
“Something is very wrong in the functioning of the MeECL and we want to understand the actual picture,” Mawthoh said.
He, however, did not blame the current government for the mess in the State-owned power company, opining that the problems have existed for years.
Successive political leaders had “not addressed the problems that were there in the right perspective, so the problems became compounded and the dues increased,” he said, adding that sincerity to bring about corrective measures should be a top priority if the state is not to continue suffering like this.
