SHILLONG [Nov 10]: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) employees has asked the authorities to come clean about the agreement signed by the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) through which it intends to sell power at a cheaper rate exclusively to the members of the Byrnihat Industries Association (BIA).
Speaking to The Shillong Times, secretary of the JAC, Arju Dkhar, said the Committee wants clarity on the matter while questioning if the MeECL is receiving the 53 megawatt of power from NTPC as per the Power purchase agreements.
“The management should clarify and be transparent about whether or not we are getting the 53 megawatt of power from NTPC before offering power to someone else,” he said.
According to the JAC secretary, the power is still being regulated and MeECL has to pay Rs 2.80 paise per kilowatt as fixed charge which comes to around Rs 14 crore.
“So we are paying around Rs 14 crore every month without drawing any power,” he said, while adding that the MeECL now has to pay almost Rs 400 crore to NTPC.
As far as the MoU with Byrnihat Industries Association is concerned, he questioned as to how the utility will provide power the Association without the output from the NTPC.
“It seems we have trapped ourselves. There will be massive load shedding because we will have to supply power to the industries as per agreement,” he added.
Stating that the MeECL, in its tariff, filed with the Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC) for Rs 9 per unit for industries excluding demand, the MSERC agreed to a rate of Rs 6.2 per unit without demand charge, he added that the JAC wants transparency on the matter.
He also questioned as to why MeECL in the MoU did not object to the industries which demanded power at the rate of Rs 4.9 per unit.
“We want to know on what basis the MeECL agreed to this,” Dkhar said, while adding that if there is anything against the JAC, it will be the first one to expose everything but if it is something fruitful, the Committee would support it wholeheartedly.
Stating that the MoU should not be one-sided, the JAC secretary added that the Committee is peeved at the delay in disbursement of the salary, which may compel it to resort to agitations.
Meanwhile, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of MeECL, Arunkumar Kembhavi, said that the recent reports in the media do not contain facts. “The fact is on our side,” he added.