Power bills for living in darkness

SHILLONG: Erratic supply of electricity in once power surplus Meghalaya is not a recent phenomenon. Load shedding, inadequate power supply and faulty lines and transformers have become regular features of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) with consumers having to bear the brunt of the inefficiencies of those occupying the top posts in the corporation.
However, the magnitude of the problem can be best gauged with a visit to Suchen village in East Jaintia Hills District.
Villagers here have not had power supplied to their homes and shops for the past one year and seven months.
What adds insult to the injury is the fact that despite utterly failing to provide electricity to the village, MeECL has been efficiently sending the power bills to the consumers every month.
Seeking to address the issue of violation of the rights of the consumers, a social worker, Marshall Biam, has sent a letter to the Asst. Executive Engineer (Distribution) Sub-Division, Khliehriat, mentioning that the residents cannot do their work at night and minor accidents have occurred several times.
He urged the concerned authorities to take immediate action to resume power supply in the village at the earliest.