SHILLONG: The State government is working on a formula to ensure that school students preparing for their final examinations are not affected by the ongoing load shedding.
Power Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said the examinations will start soon and the government does not want the children to bear the brunt of irregular power supply.
Regulation of power supply to the State by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) and low rainfall this monsoon are the reasons behind the city’s power woes.
NEEPCO regulated power supply as Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) has to pay Rs 469.32 crore dues to NEEPCO.
When asked about the loan that MeECL has sought from Power Finance Corporation to clear its dues, Dhar said, “Necessary paper works are being done and we hope to get the loan soon.”
Apart from the Rs 469.32 crore dues to NEEPCO as per the last quarter, MeECL also has to pay Rs 30.57 crore to NHPC, Rs 44.08 crore to NTPC, Rs 39.71 crore to other sources and Rs 36.44 crore to Power Grid and the total outstanding amount comes to Rs 767 crore.
At the moment, MeECL is resorting to load shedding for half an hour every day in different parts of the city.
