MAWKYRWAT: The Mawkyrwat Electricity Consumers Forum (MECF) closed down the office of the MeECL at Mawkyrwat, on Tuesday in protest against the MeECL for going ahead with the handing over of electricity services to Feedback Energy Distribution Company Limited (FEDCO) – a firm from Orissa, amidst public disapproval.
MECF, an umbrella of the Rangbah Shnong (headmen) and NGOs from South West Khasi Hills which include KSU, SSSS, HYC, FKJGP and HANM had opposed the move of the MeECL to handover the electricity services to FEDCO from its inception and demanded that the company should stop working until it is applied in the whole state.
“If FEDCO is an answer to the problems, then why it was not implemented in the whole state and why only Mawkyrwat and Mawsynram,” Chairman of MECF, Wallambok Syiemiong said.
He said that the MECF was angry with the MeECL over no response to the demand of stopping FEDCO taking charge and especially because MeECL along with FEDCO were trying to fool the people by bringing the electricity bill which is neither of the MeECL nor of the FEDCO.
“Moreover, these electricity bills have troubled the people as the bills for some households came out as very low, while some jumped to Rs8000 and some even to Rs 48,000 for two months. This was shared by the people and we have copies as proof,” Syiemiong said.
General Secretary of MECF, Deling Snaitang said that the Forum will hold a general meeting at the Auditorium Hall of Nativity HS School, Mawkyrwat on Thursday from 11 am. He urged the residents to attend the meeting in order to take a joint call on the issue.
Meanwhile, Assistant Executive Engineer of MeECL Mawkyrwat, R Kharwanlang, while explaining to the crowd that went to close the MeECL office, said that FEDCO was an operational contractor of the MeECL in which all the works related with billing would be supervised by MeECL.
He informed that FEDCO was brought to make sure that the bill reached every household on time without errors. “As explained (by senior officials of MeECL in the meeting held recently at Mawkyrwat Dorbar Hall), we cannot withdraw this agreement signed with FEDCO,” Kharwanlang said, adding that he will report the incident to higher authorities.
