Power Minister James PK Sangma today informed that the state government has scrapped the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the Umngot Hydroelectric Power Project.
Several stakeholders have come out against the project over fears that it will harm the environment, devastate farmland and put off tourists from visiting the crystal-clear river.
“It is very funny that there is stiff opposition to Umngot, because, on the ground, in terms of movement, there is nothing on the part of the government,” Sangma said. “But if, and that is a big if, we are to go ahead with the Umngot project, we will definitely take all views and reach out to the stakeholders and we will discuss this matter with them.”
He also pointed out that there may be some apprehensions on the part of the people that are genuine and these will be addressed by the government as and when the time comes.
There is a need for Meghalaya to ramp up its electricity generation capacity but the Umngot project is not the only one on the cards.
“We are presently exploring many other renewable projects in terms of solar and because we have hydro generation, we would like to also supplement that with solar power,” the Power Minister said.
According to Sangma, solar, hydro and wind power are symbiotic and the government is looking to combine all three and bring about a robust, renewable energy foundation for the power sector in Meghalaya.
