SHILLONG, June 14: The High Court of Meghalaya has asked the state government to put in place an alternative plan, which should be both rational and equitable, once power cuts are resorted in the state to do away with arbitrary load-shedding in future.
The court made the observation while hearing a petition filed in public interest against the arbitrary load-shedding schedule.
According to the petitioner, the government had filed an affidavit but no rationale has been indicated in the affidavit as to why some areas suffered longer power cuts than other areas.
The petitioner pointed out that even essential services, such as government hospitals, are not exempted from power cuts.
It was submitted on behalf of the state that in view of the adequate rains over the last week or so the Umiam waters have risen by as much as 10 feet, thus, allowing greater power generation.
The state submitted that it has been purchasing power from the National Thermal Power Corporation from or about the beginning of June, 2023, adding that the government is also looking at purchasing power from the open grid to augment the supply. As to the uninterrupted supply of electricity to hospitals and the like, the state submitted that by and large hospitals have been exempted from power cuts, provided they are connected by high tension feeder lines.
The State said NEIGRIHMS has been spared of power cuts but Shillong Civil Hospital does not have a high tension feeder line that caters to the entirety of the hospital.
“Apart from the fact that hospitals across the State and the healthcare centres need to be improved qualitatively with better equipment, more experts and greater facilities, the most elementary thing that must be ensured is the uninterrupted supply of power to such places as power is essential in running machines for patients on life support and, possibly, supply of oxygen. The state should make every endeavour to ensure that even if the need arises in future to restrict the continuous supply of power on account of any shortfall, the hospitals and like institutions are exempted or, there is backup available by way of diesel generator sets for the hospitals and like institutions to run seamlessly and unaffected by power cuts,” the Court said while hoping that with the regular rains in the recent times, the situation improves.
The court also said that state’s status report should be filed before the matter appears next a fortnight hence.
