| Load-shedding during day and night | ||
Shillong, Feb. 12 : The Khasi Students’ Union today attributed the power crisis in the domestic sector in Meghalaya to the defective policy of supplying more power to the non-productive industries. The allegation came on a day the state electricity board issued a notification announcing power cuts during the day and at night, beginning today. The Meghalaya State Electricity Board (MeSEB) stated low generation of power and inadequate supply from the central sector generating stations as the reasons for the power cuts. According to the notification, different localities will face power cuts during the day for two hours rotation wise. From 12.30am there will be another round of power cuts for two hours in entire Shillong. Government secretariats, the office of the deputy commissioner, Raj Bhavan, and those of the North Eastern Council and BSNL will witness one hour of power cut during daytime. The situation is likely to continue for four months. KSU president Samuel Jyrwa today blamed lack of farsightedness on the part of the state government for the people’s suffering from February till the monsoon. He blamed the industries set up, mainly in Byrnihat, for consuming maximum power, leaving the domestic consumers helpless. He said the industries get all sorts of subsidies but had proven to be non-productive. Meghalaya depends only on the 175MW Umiam hydel power project to meet the needs of the industries and domestic consumers. The state has hydropower potential of around 3,000MW. With a demand for over 600MW, its present power generation of only 175MW, however, is hardly adequate. The electric board’s inability to get the 126MW Myntdu Leshka hydel project commissioned has worsened the crisis. Jyrwa said when the state government framed the industrial policy in 1997, it should have foreseen the power requirement of the industries set up in Byrnihat. “Without studying the possible power shortage, the government allowed several industries to set up their units in the state,” he said. The KSU leader said the state government, instead of tapping mini-hydel projects, concentrated on signing agreements for big hydel projects that would take at least 20 years for completion. As a result of the load-shedding, students preparing for various examinations will suffer. |
KSU slams Lapang govt for power cuts
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