NONGSTOIN: With the 2014 FIFA World Cup entering a decisive phase, every soccer fan, globally or in the State, is now glued to their television sets, enjoying the gift of technology and watching it live on their screens from faraway Brazil.
However, much to their dismay, a huge number of soccer fans of West Khasi Hills District, in particular those residing in far flung villages of the district, have been let down by the MeECL through unscheduled power cuts.
Despite the recent assurances by an MeECL Engineer that there would be no power cuts during the World Cup, villages in West Khasi Hills District having been bearing the brunt of frequent power cuts.
Resident from Pariong reported that they had been deprived of power since the night of June 20. They said that without electricity they had fallen back to the old days and were using their radios sets to keep track of the activities in Brazil.
Residents of Upper New Nongstoin also complained of frequent power cuts especially in the late night hours, when the World Cup matches are telecast.
Football enthusiasts of West Khasi Hills District have urged the MeECL authorities and the State Government to come to their aid and to not deprive them of the spectacle that comes once every four years. They also said that they were paying exorbitantly high electricity bills and yet they are being deprived of power. They recalled that the MeECL had earlier said that the power cuts were due to the shortage of water in the dams but with the onset of the Monsoon, the people in West Khasi Hills District are now praying that the MeECL would shed more light into the lives of the football fans in the district.