Meghalaya Power Minister Abu Taher Mondal has suggested introduction of a scheme similar to the North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) scheme, to ease financial burden of transmission infrastructure upgradations.
Mondal, who chaired the 29th meeting of North Eastern Region Power Committee (NERPC) in Guwahati today, raised the issue of the funding constraints for the transmission projects planned and approved by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for Meghalaya.
While the CEO has accepted the proposal it has sought detailed project report from other states.
Mondal also objected to the minimum requirement of manpower in State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) notified by the Ministry of Power stating that it should not be linked to funding under Power System Development Fund.
He urged member states to submit a resolution to the ministry for reviewing the minimum requirement manpower to be posted under emerging SLDCs.
In response, the NERPC has written to the Ministry recommending the delinking of manpower requirements from PSDF funding—a move expected to benefit smaller states with limited resources.
The Minister also flagged the impact of stringent reserve requirements mandated by the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC), stating that such norms would restrict power availability to the public in states like Meghalaya. The NERPC agreed to take up the concern to the Ministry of Power and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), seeking a relaxation of reserve norms.
The meeting also proposed inclusion of Sikkim under the NERPC framework. Currently, Sikkim falls under the Eastern Region for power-related schemes. However, Mondal argued that bringing Sikkim under the North Eastern umbrella would allow upcoming power projects in the state to benefit the entire region, fostering more balanced regional development.
The meeting was attended by power ministers and senior officials from Northeastern states, along with representatives from central power agencies including the CEA, PGCIL, NTPC, NEEPCO, and Grid India.
