SHILLONG, March 21: Load-shedding is likely to be withdrawn by Monday as the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) is hopeful of a positive breakthrough in the ongoing talks with the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO).
“MeECL is trying its best to get the regulation imposed by NEEPCO withdrawn. We are confident of a positive outcome by Monday,” a senior official at the power department said on Sunday.
Earlier on Friday, state Power Minister James Sangma had said load-shedding would be discontinued in 48 hours as the state had cleared the pending dues.
NEEPCO notice
NEEPCO, on March 16, had sent a notice to the state government stating that it will regulate power supply from March 20 if Rs 504.41 crore dues were not cleared.
In a letter to the Executive Director of North Eastern Regional Load Dispatch Centre, NEEPCO’s Executive Director (commercial) NK Mao said the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) had failed to clear the outstanding dues to NEEPCO even after the latter pursued the matter at various levels.
The letter statedthat MePDCL dues continued to escalate and the outstanding in excess of 45 days piled up to Rs 156.70 crore as on March 15 along with late payment surcharge of Rs 347.71 crore. The total dues as on March 15 stood at 504.41 crore, the letter stated.
“The notice is served for round-the-clock regulation of power supply to the MePDCL from all power stations of NEEPCO for a period of six months from March 20 or till such time the MePDCL liquidates its outstanding dues of more than 45 days, whichever is earlier,” the letter read.
With this move, NEEPCO will regulate 147.53 MW power for Meghalaya.
MeECLasked to
clear dues by April 30
However, government public sector undertaking NEEPCO has made it clear that the outstanding dues must be paid in a single instalment before April 30.
A letter written by NEEPCO to MeECL on Friday,it was revealed that the NEEPCO had withdrawn regulation of power for Meghalaya with a condition that the outstanding dues must be paid.
The letter also revealed that state government had recently paid Rs 127.54 crore through state-owned entities REC Limited and Power Finance Corporation (PFC)to NEEPCO.
Other NEEPCO
conditions
According to the letter per the letter, another condition was that the amount of Rs 125 crore out of Rs 198.44 crore paid as the first installment in January this year was agreed to be adjusted against late payment surcharge.
The PSU, however, said it was agreeable to mutually accepted terms in line with instructions issued by the Union ministry of power on March 18.
