From Our Correspondent
TURA: In an apparent case of sheer neglect and apathy by the concerned department, as many as 150 villages of Sangkni, Deku and Rajaronggat areas have been without electricity since April due to alleged negligence by the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL).
The people of the area have alleged that the root cause of the problem is the fact that there is only one lineman who is manning the electricity lines of the whole area and besides that the living quarter of the lineman is located very far from the mentioned areas.
Residents have alleged that there are around 45 to 50 transformers in the whole area and it is humanely impossible for a single person to efficiently manage electrical system.
Allegedly, these areas get the benefit of electricity for a maximum of only 3-4 days in a month and some months even go by completely without electricity.
The people of Sangkni area are pointing fingers at the MeECL officials in-charge of the region for the horrid condition in which they are being forced to live and said that the officers in-charge of the area are neglecting and turning a blind eye to the problem, regardless of numerous complaints and appeals made by the people.
While stating their numerous problems due to non-availability of power, the people also mentioned that the academic performance of their children had radically dropped since they cannot utilise the time after sunset for studying. People of the region are totally cut off from the rest of the world after sundown.
The people said that since newspapers do not reach their villages they have to rely on television, radio and cell phones etc., to keep themselves up-to-date with the happenings around the world. However, these devices need power to serve the purpose and without electricity these appliances are of no value.
It may be mentioned that these areas fall under the Barenggapara Dalu MeECL office.
Meanwhile, residents of Nongstoin are also facing similar predicament since businesses that depend solely on electricity have been hit hard in Nongstoin and its adjoining areas since the offset of the monsoon here with the frequency of power cuts going up to as many as 15-20 times in a single day.
Villagers living in the vicinity of Nongstoin have to return home before nightfall since the lanes and roads remain under the cover of darkness in the absence of power.
Shopkeepers and owners of units that rely on electricity for their income have been reduced to a helpless lot.
“How am I going to feed my family if this goes on? I may have to look for different avenues where electricity is not necessary,” a local shopkeeper, Doffulson Snaitang, said, while narrating his plight.
MeECL authorities have, however, blamed the increased power cuts to some repair work in the area that has been going on for the past two months. They also stated that the repair work would continue for some more time.