Consumers oppose private energy company

Mawkyrwat: Residents of Mawkyrwat, South West Khasi Hills on Friday strongly opposed the handing over of electricity services to the Odisha-based Feedback Energy Distribution Company Limited (FEDCO) and demanded that all the bills should be sent to the consumers in the name of MePDCL and not in the name of FEDCO or FEDCO + MePDCL.
During a public meeting at Mawkyrwat, the chairman of the Mawkyrwat Electricity Consumers Forum (MECF), Wallambok Syiemiong, accused the state government of trying to recover the heavy losses suffered by the MeECL in Garo Hills during the peak of militancy from the people of Mawkyrwat and Mawsynram sub-division.
However, Syiemiong asserted that the move by the government to hand over electricity services will be accepted only if it is extended to the entire state.
Earlier, the officials of MePDCL clearly said that they have decided to hand over the electricity services to FEDCO because MePDCL has incurred heavy losses. Syiemiong said, “according to reliable sources, the corporation suffered a big loss in Garo Hills due to militancy in recent years when many villages did not pay the electricity bills and when the MeSEB (MePDCL) workers went to cut the connection, they were threatened by the militants.”
Headmen of different villages, NGO and MECF leaders met the Assistant Executive Engineer, Mawkyrwat Distribution Sub-Division (MeECL) and demanded that FEDCO should stop working immediately.