By HH Mohrmen
Every year during lean season, consumers of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL)in the entire state have to suffer a controlled shutdown for reasons best known to the Corporation. This year the people of Jowai which is one of the oldest towns in the state have had to put up with regular load shedding at what is considered a very weird timing. Why do consumers have to suffer load shedding? Or why impose the shutdown at the most awkward timings of the day?
Jowai town has to suffer the most because load shedding begins at 9 till 12 midnight. People wonder why MeECL has to start the shutdown at 9 PM. It is a very odd time to effect a shut- down. Hence, the people of Jowai scurry home before 9 PM or, before the entire town turns pitch-dark. In fact the people of Jowai should award a prize to those who decide on the timings of the shutdown because it is the most awkward time of all. For people who are interested in watching TV, this is prime- time and only programs with high television rating points (TRP) are scheduled during that particular time. But the most important point to note is that this is election time when people would like to watch the news to keep themselves abreast with what is happening, so that they are able to make an informed decision and vote for the right candidate/party. But the high and the mighty of MeECL do not think so! In their scheme of things that is not important at all. As soon as the clock strikes 9, everything has to come to a grinding halt in Jowai because the MeECL has decided to implement its rule on the hapless consumers.
In fact, it appears that the MeECL is more powerful than the Election Commission too because candidates who campaign in the rural areas in the evening have to pack their bags before 9 PM. This happens despite the fact that as per the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct, election campaigns can go on till 10 PM. No candidate has the guts to complain against this or perhaps the candidates do not consider rural areas as important or they have considered it to be in their pockets, so this is not an issue at all. It may not be an issue for those who visit the place only to campaign once every five years, but there are those whose livelihoods depend on the kind of electricity that MeECL supplies.
Those who are engaged in Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises are the worst affected by the load shedding, but they do not complain. People who are engaged in businesses like photo- copying shops, steel and wooden furniture etc., are running at a loss whereas big industries like cement plants are not affected by load shedding. The reason is because some of the cement plants have their own captive power plants, but even those who does not have their own CPP, are not affected by shutdowns. The cement plants at Narpuh area never ever experience load shedding; not even those who have defaulted in paying their electricity bills. Recently a certain company defaulted in paying its dues and electricity connection to its plant was cut off by the MeECL only to be restored later, after it had paid some of the amount due. Obviously only the public and those who engage in small business have to go through the planned shutdown.
The first question that needs to be asked is why is it necessary for the MeECL to impose this load shedding on its consumers? Is it because the consumers have defaulted in paying the electricity bills and this in turn forced the Corporation to default in payment for the energy it buys from NEEPCO or from the National Grid? Is this the reason which has compelled the Corporation to insist on shutdown to save some energy, thereby saving money for the MeECL? If so, what is the percentage of the consumers who have defaulted in paying their bills? The consumers have the right to have answers to all these questions. Otherwise why impose this blanket shutdown on all the consumers? Why punish those who pay their dues regularly? Why not punish only those who have defaulted on paying their dues? Why would MeECL punish its consumers for the crime they have not committed? Isn’t this a reason to take the Corporation to the Consumer Protection forum or the Court?
Or is the load shedding due to the mismanagement of the Corporation, which makes the MeECL default in paying the energy suppliers what it buys from them? Why is it that every year at the end of the financial year, the Corporation always incurs huge debts and the state government always has to come to its rescue? What is the State Planning Board doing? What are they planning? Is there a plan that the Board expects the MeECL to get over its debts and break even? If so, when can we expect the Corporation to break even so that the consumers will not have to suffer anymore? Or how long will the state government continue to spend public money to rescue MeECL?
The Chief Minister of the state, Conrad K Sangma, is talking about job creation by encouraging people to start micro, medium and small industries, but if electricity which is the backbone of every industry is as unreliable as it is now, then his statement are but empty rhetoric. He should stop talking about Food Processing Mission and other missions as long as the Government owned Corporation cannot provide its consumers stable energy. The State Government should not encourage people to set up enterprises when it cannot ensure supply of stable energy to the plants.
The Government-owned Corporation has not only failed to provide stable energy to the consumers, but it has also failed to provide electricity connection to every house in the state. The central government has announced that it is providing electricity connection to every household, but Meghalaya is one of the few states which has not been able to meet the target. The people have the right to know why the State has failed to provide electricity connection to every household, in spite of the fact that ample funds were provided by the central government.
Obviously one of the reasons that the Corporation has a lackadaisical attitude is because of the monopoly that the MeECL is enjoying and those at the helm of power know that consumers will have to depend on the Corporation come what may? The other reason is also because the Corporation is so in name only, while the people who run it and those who work in the setup still have a sarkari-mindset.
But the most important factor which encourages the MeECL to ill-treat its consumers is because they know that the people of the state (particularly the Pnars) are all ‘ksan rympei rem dorbar’ those who whine and open their big mouths only around the fire place and not beyond that. Nobody, not even the public representative will dare to complain, leave alone take the matter to the consumer protection forum. Instead of making complains to their public representatives, people find it easy to complain to leaders of pressure group like the JSU, KSU and others. The question is where have their MLAs, their MDCs gone? Or is this because the local representatives have bought their support during election therefore the public have to fend for themselves now?
MeECL should be ashamed of putting its consumers in such a situation every year in spite of the fact that they pay their bills regularly. Why can’t the Corporation provide uninterrupted power supply to its consumers in the State, when the only job that MeECL is expected to perform is doing just that?
Can we expect the Power Minister to answer the above questions?