The Power Minister’s assurance that there would not be power cuts during the festive season brought a ray of hope as people read that morning’s papers. But by 10 am most localities in Shillong experienced power cuts leaving those wanting to bake their Christmas goodies in a fit of anger and desperation. The power was restored only after 4 pm. The question is how long such power disruptions can people take, especially in the winter months when mornings are near freezing point. Granted that the power sector in Meghalaya has been in the sick bed for decades, like every other sector that fails the people here. In the 1990’s there were talks of bringing in international power generating companies but those were short-circuited by politicians who are mortally afraid of the word “privatise,” even as public sector units are failing everywhere. A good example is the Mawmluh Cherra Cements Limited (MCCL) which is now at the point of closure. But Meghalaya or rather its successive governments continue to tread the path of least resistance which is fraught because such steps don’t yield results. The PSUs are allowed to stumble along from problem to problem with short term fixes; one of them being the constant injection of funds with no visible outcomes.
In 1997 the then Government led by Dr Mukul Sangma sighed a slew of power deals but not a single one has come up since that MoU was inked. The reasons for those MoUs not taking off have never been discussed publicly or in the State Assembly. Silence is the norm in Meghalaya. There were a lot of discussions about run of the river projects too but nothing has taken off. How can Meghalaya ever think of an industrial culture when the basic requirement – power is elusive?
The Power Minister had stated a day ago that Meghalaya has adequate power and even a buffer stock so that power cuts are minimised. He however warmed that consumers should use power judiciously lest transformers are blown off. Is there no mechanism to immediately detect such unauthorised use of power beyond the limit paid for? Such deterrents are needed to detect power thefts that happen in different parts of Shillong and also in industrial units. It is interesting to note that Meghalaya has never considered setting up thermal power plants although it exports huge quantities of coal to Bangladesh. Granted that thermal power generation could pose environmental hazards but in this day and age there are enough mechanisms in place to reduce pollution from thermal power plants. The only thermal project proposed in Nangalbibra in the 1980s never really took off. Since then coal as a potential source of energy has never been discussed. It is time for the Power Minister to think of renewable energy sources and work on those proposals on a war footing. Buying power from the national grid is how the state manages to tide off the power crisis during the winter months when the dry season arrives. But is that the only solution?
