By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 12: The Synjuk ki Khlieh Nongshynshar Shnong of Mawsynram has voiced strong resistance to the recent move of the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) to transfer the local electrical sub-division to a new private franchisee, Sai Computer Ltd., beginning November 1.
The group, headed by its chairman Hiamdor Rapsang, met Power Minister Metbah Lyngdoh in Shillong on Wednesday to register its protest and seek the reversal of the decision.
The leaders said the people of Mawsynram had already suffered for years under the previous operator and should not be forced to endure another round of uncertainty.
The latest development follows MePDCL’s decision to end its decade-long agreement with Feedback Energy Distribution Company Limited (FEDCO), which had managed the Mawsynram sub-division for nearly seven years.
The arrangement, first introduced in 2019, was meant to improve efficiency through private participation but, according to village leaders, instead led to confusion, poor service and lack of accountability.
“This puts the village leaders in a state of wonder because for 6-7 years under FaTco, we had to face many unclear and confusing problems… Now, without the knowledge of the village authorities, without the knowledge of the residents, [MePDCL] has simply handed it over to another unknown company,” Rapsang said.
The Synjuk expressed particular concern that the new agreement was finalised without consultation with local authorities or residents. They said that despite the earlier contract’s failure, MePDCL has chosen to repeat the same model, describing it as a “guinea pig experiment” being conducted at the cost of the people.
The delegation reminded the power minister that Mawsynram’s power network remains outdated and excluded from crucial central schemes such as the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), which funds infrastructure renewal in MePDCL-managed areas. The presence of a private franchisee, they said, deprives the sub-division of these benefits.
They also raised the issue of incomplete rural electrification projects, including Saubhagya, where several contractors have abandoned works midway. “Contractors have vanished, leaving many newly built homes without electricity connections even though residents had provided land for transformers and poles,” the leaders told the power minister.
With Christmas and the New Year approaching, the Synjuk urged the government to expedite new household connections and ensure that MePDCL resumes direct control over power supply in Mawsynram.
The association further cautioned that the state should reconsider the private franchise model altogether, noting that similar experiments in Phulbari, Nagalbibra and Dalu have also drawn criticism.
