By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 26: United Democratic Party (UDP) General Secretary, Jemino Mawthoh on Friday said the demand for the ouster of Power Minister James Sangma and the CMD of MeECL is not misdirected but a conscious one made by the party leadership.
“I have nothing to say about misdirection but since the Power department has attracted public ire, we feel that we need to air our concerns,” Mawthoh said, reacting to Sangma’s view that the UDP misdirected its demand.
“When the Power Minister and the CMD are at the helm of affairs, it is natural for us to direct our feelings and concerns to them about the inconvenience being caused to the public,” he said.
Justifying his statement, he said the lineman or the meter reader cannot be blamed if something goes wrong in the MeECL. “Those at the top have to take responsibility,” he added.
Admitting that the problem in the power sector has been continuing since 2007, Mawthoh said: “We are not saying there were no problems earlier, but these have compounded and people are suffering now. As a responsible party, we have to voice our concern as it cannot go on like this.”
He pointed to the “agitated and demoralised” MeECL staff to underline the state of affairs and the need for corrective measures in the system.
He insisted that the demand for the ouster of the Power Minister and the CMD of MeECL was not a personal decision but a collective one at the party level. “With the threat of NEEPCO regulations, we cannot just keep quiet,” he said.
Making it clear that that the UDP is not going to keep quiet on the matter, the UDP general secretary said: “We have to think about the interest of the people who are crying hoarse about what is going on.”
