Shillong, March 22: Power projects in the state has been delayed as there has been derailed in the smooth functioning of the projects.
Elaborating further, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Dr Mukul Sangma said that the Nationalist Congress Party is held responsible in delaying the projects taken up by the earlier congress led government.
Talking to reporters soon after the assembly session Dr. Mukul Sangma said, “The power deficit of the state could have been well addressed if the then NCP power minister (Conrad Sangma) had not sat on it.”
Stating that the decommissioning of these proposed power projects has further delayed the initiative of the government to boost up the power sector in the state, Dr. Sangma said “It derailed the power plant projects completely.”
Dr Sangma also said that there were many projects in Garo Hills that is still underway such as the 500 watts thermal power project, Dr Sangma said, “ It takes a lot of time and effort to start all over again,” adding that the paper works and getting the clearance may take a year or more.
Hinting that the decommissioning of the power plant projects may have been the result of personal enmity, Dr.Sangma said, “I had inaugurated the power project and it was my initiation, perhaps that could be the reason.”
Informing that the government is laying special emphasis on the growth of the power sector in the state, he said, “Power has to be prioritised as it is a revenue generation investment,” adding that aggressive measures is being worked upon and should be put in place to address power deficit in the state.
Dr. Sangma also dwelled on the possibility of selling power to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh to generate revenue.
Sangma also hoped that with the commissioning of these power projects, the state would be in a position to sell power to other states and generate revenue even as he cited that the state government investment into a power plant in Tripura will benefit the state in the long run.(SP News)
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