SHILLONG: United Democratic Party (UDP) working president, Paul Lyngdoh has launched another scathing attack on the state government for cancellation of four power projects which were to be developed by private companies in the state.
Lyngdoh recently told reporters that as a power house in the North East, Meghalaya was supplying power to other states.
“But in the past 15 years, the story of incompetence and corruption at every level has made Meghalaya a power deficit state. Today we have a situation when Meghalaya has to go with a begging bowl and seek power from power suppliers and bigger players,” he said.
The Cabinet last week cancelled the agreement for four projects – the Umduna (57 MW) and Umjaut (69 MW) hydro power projects, which were to be developed by ETA Star Infrastructure Ltd, Mumbai; the Narringre thermal project (300 MW) in East Garo Hills and the Captive Thermal Power project (60 MW) at Shallang in West Khasi Hills.
The move came almost after ten years of signing the agreement for the projects.
Recalling the moment when the Meghalaya government signed an agreement for power projects with private developers, Lyngdoh said in 2007, the power department through the then deputy chief minister, in-charge power, Mukul Sangma had brought forward a cabinet memo in order to facilitate singing of a MoU with the developers for around 12 projects.
“A day before the meeting, I and three other cabinet ministers – RG Lyngdoh, Prestone Tynsong and JD Rymbai had written to the then chief minister, DD Lapang forewarning him about these projects as we anticipated that these projects were done with an ill intention and ulterior motives as 2008 elections were near. But as Cabinet exercises its power on the will of the majority, we could not convince the Cabinet to stop these projects,” Lyngdoh said.
Slamming the government over the issue, he said even after 10 years, the detailed project reports for the projects were not prepared.
“I see that there was a clear ill and malafide intention behind these projects and people of Meghalaya should give a befitting reply to this kind of mis-governance which has robbed the state of its potential to produce power,” Lyngdoh said.
