Power cuts are the last thing that the health sector needs given the increasing strain put on it by the worsening Covid-19 situation in the state, opposition MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh said.
The state is currently undergoing load shedding daily – three hours for ordinary citizens and 12 hours for industries.
“Amid all the emergencies on the health front and examinations, the power cuts are uncalled for. I don’t know how the hospitals will be able to function efficiently without power and if this gets worse it will be very sad,” she said. “If you are on a ventilator and in critical condition, whether or not you are Covid-positive, is a major concern especially in this kind of scenario where the power supply is uncertain.”
The East Shillong legislator told Highland Post that the Power Department and utility are facing a crisis, with liabilities increasing, yet those in power continue to deny the real problems.
The state-owned utility has been in the news of late for all the wrong reasons, with claims and counter-claims find their way into the press regarding alleged corruption from one side or the other, with Power Minister James Sangma and Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) Arunkumar Kembhavi pitched against the engineers’ union.
“These in-house grievances of the employees also keep multiplying and that will not be good for the state in the long run,” Lyngdoh added.
