SHILLONG: Power Minister, James P K Sangma has lamented that poor connectivity to the power project sites is one of the reasons for the stagnation of the power sector in the region.
Addressing the inauguration of the one-day seminar on the Power Scenario in the North Eastern Region held here in the NEC on Friday, the state Power Minister added that there were even difficulties to take machinery for repair from the project sites due to the poor road connectivity
Stating that the right of way is another problem in the region and so severa transmission lines cannot be repaired on time, he added the problem was more acute in Assam.
Emphasising on the need to have capacity building of manpower in the region, Sangma said that most engineers of the Northeast were more attuned to hydel power projects, whereas expertise in alternative technology is required these days.
He said that the distribution power companies were making losses and majority of the banks now were reluctant to finance the distribution companies which has also affected the power sector.
Meanwhile, the northeast has one of the lowest power consumption rates in the country.The annual power consumption is 350 kilo watt hour per capita annually. The All India average is over 1000 kwh. The global average is over 3000 kwh.