Power outages irk Nongpoh residents

NONGPOH, Aug 18: Regular power outages and the apparent indifference of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) have left the residents of Nongpoh feeling neglected and betrayed.
Growing angrier by the day, locals say the power scenario is undermining Ri-Bhoi district’s status as the gateway to the hill state. They are slamming the government for failing to provide uninterrupted electricity, a basic necessity.
Healthcare services, education, businesses, farming, and other activities have been suffering due to long hours of load-shedding every day.
The outages have also widened the economic divide – while the less privileged are finding it hard to even charge their cell phones, those affluent enough to install inverters and generators are navigating through the darkness without much ado. (Contd on P-4)
Power outages irk Nongpoh…
(Contd from P-1) The residents said memorandums from individuals and organisations such as the Khasi Students’ Union have failed to stir the MeECL officials into action, which is gradually eroding the people’s faith in their elected representatives.
One of the solutions the KSU and others have been insisting on is the need to set up a 132/33 KV substation for Nongpoh. But efforts to reach the MeECL officials for the essential infrastructure upgrade have proved futile, locals said.