All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) legislator Zenith Sangma today said that the present scenario in the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) is “worrisome”.
In a statement issued here today, Sangma blamed corruption in the MDA for the present state of affairs in MeECL.
Stating that the present government was using MeECL as a milching cow, Sangma asked Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong to come up with white paper on the various irregularities in the corporation without any further delay.
“I have raised these issues time and again, warned the government that it would go beyond its coping capacity and ultimately it is going to be privatised. Precisely now it is going to happen as I envisaged. I have been cautioning them that it is going to be in debt trap and it is now in debt trap,” Sangma said.
He also recalled the reply of the government during the last budget session that the monthly expenditure of the MeECL was Rs 135 crore whereas the monthly income was just Rs 71 crore.
“Then during the autumn session which just concluded later in this month, the Deputy Chief Minister in charge Power told the Assembly that the monthly expenditure of MeECL is Rs 150 crore whereas the monthly income of the corporation is just half of it which is Rs 75 crore only. Who will compensate for the deficit amount of Rs 75 crore every month and Rs 900 crore every year? Sangma asked.
“It is alleged and many a time it was carried in the media that, just to fulfill their greed the people in power along with corrupt minded people, they are using MeECL as a milching cow,” he added.
Sangma also said that apart from taking loans after loans, huge amount to the tune of more than Rs 617 crore of public money has been drained out through the MeECL.
“They have made the MeECL crippled and now it cannot stand on its own. It’s the talk of the town that this government does not care for the people of the State, instead they think only for themselves and their alleged priority is to squeeze the public money through different unfair means,” he said.
Questioning the government for not having a proper business plan for MeECL, Sangma said that the Deputy Chief Minister should explain to the people of the State as to why power is being purchased at a very high and exorbitant rate of Rs 12 per unit and for whose benefits
He said that the rate for power purchase was done without the approval of the Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC) which according to him may have been done with malafide intentions.
Sangma also alleged that another irregularity in MeECL was the UGO billing system through software which was awarded to the service provider without calling any tender.
“The present MDA government under Conrad Sangma as Chief Minister is infamous for corruption in all sectors. This government of the day is of the corrupt and for the corrupt. BJP, UDP and other regional parties who supported and facilitated the NPP-led government in allegedly looting the public money are also party to it. They may deny it but it’s a known fact,” he said.
