The opposition Congress today reiterated that there needs to be a CBI investigation of alleged corruption in the implementation of Saubhagya, Ganol power project, ERP, smart meter project, special tariff for industries and power purchases, issues that have cast a shadow over the functioning of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Ltd (MeECL) and Power Department.
“If we allow this present NPP-led government, headed by Conrad Sangma, to continue for even a single day, it will mean a huge loss to the state exchequer and be detrimental to the people of the state because their priority is not to protect the interest of the people of the state,” Congress MLA Zenith Sangma alleged.
Zenith also thanked the regional party leaders who are with the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government for cooperating and exerting pressure on the leadership to scrap the proposal to franchise out the running of two major distribution circles of the MeECL in Meghalaya to an outside firm.
Instead of taking this route, the cabinet decided on guaranteeing the loan taken by the MeECL to pay off its dues to suppliers on the condition that the state-owned utility puts up collateral. This is something that Zenith now wants examined.
“The mention of mortgaging MeECL land and assets to the government to obtain 100 percent government guarantee against the Rs 1,345.72 crore Aatmanirbhar loan is required to be examined thoroughly,” he said, adding that he had opposed taking out the loan “from day one” because he feared it would plunge the struggling company into a debt trap.
