Overhaul must for state’s power sector: Mondal

SHILLONG, April 6: Power Minister Abu Taher Mondal said on Sunday that the three wings—generation, distribution and transmission—of power in the state need an overhaul.
He said the government has no major projects but is exploring options.
“Distribution, transmission, and generation need immediate overhauling and all three wings require support so that the consumers get the maximum benefit,” he said.
“We are working on it (overhaul) and I hope things will stabilise within a few months,” Mondal said.
Claiming that almost all villages have been electrified, he said a survey has been conducted to put the remaining villages on the grid.
“We have included these un-electrified villages for connectivity under the RDSS. It will not take long to electrify these villages once the RDSS is completed,” he said.
RDSS, or Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, is a reforms-based, results-linked scheme launched by the Centre to improve the quality, reliability, and affordability of power supply by strengthening the distribution sector through financial sustainability and operational efficiency.
The recent rains came as a sigh of relief for those at the helm of the power department, with the dry spell having grown worrisome gradually. The department took measures to avoid load-shedding despite the lean period, but the prolonged absence of rain was beginning to test their resolve.
“We are expecting more rain. We might have had to go for load-shedding had things been different. We hope this situation continues for uninterrupted power supply,” Mondal said.
He did not envisage any disruption due to the malfunctioning of electromagnetic and mechanical components of the power-generating units.
The state was plagued by long hours of load-shedding not so long ago. The situation has improved significantly today, Mondal said.
He assured that the concerns over unavailable and faulty transforms would be addressed in a phased manner.
“We are trying to minimise these problems. Once the Tura transformer unit is upgraded, the load on Sumer will be reduced,” he said.
Many MLAs had expressed concern over the faulty transformers during the recently concluded budget session in the 60-member Assembly. They demanded their replacement with new ones.
Mondal said the government intends to install another transformer unit in Jowai. “If this is done, the Jaintia Hills will be taken care of,” he said.
Mondal said the problem with the Tura unit was brought to the notice of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma. “He agreed to provide some grants from the state fund for some sub-stations that will take care of the fluctuation or outage of power,” he said.