Shillong, May 13: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma today laid the foundation stone for the Riangdo Small Hydro Power Project at Suanggre Hamegam village, Shallang, West Khasi Hills District, in the presence of Minister in-charge Power, James P.K. Sangma.
The ‘Run of the River’ project is the first power project in the entire West Khasi Hills and once completed will have an installed capacity of 3.00 MW with two units of 1.5 MW each. The project is expected to bring a significant change in the power scenario of the area which frequently suffers from power cuts and perpetual voltage fluctuations.
Lauding the efforts of the Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Limited (MePGCL), the land owners and stakeholders for their cooperation and bringing the project to fruition, the Chief Minister said that the project will bring stability to the supply of electricity in the area which witnesses frequent power disruptions.
‘I would like to express my gratitude to all the hard working officials from the MePGCL, the different clans and land owners for their cooperation and the dedication and the commitment of our present Minister in-charge of Power, that this project could see the light of day.
This is a big project and in which government will be investing around 30 crores. Once this project is completed it will not only be a blessing to the villages and the people of the area but will be a great boon to the State’s power sector’, the Chief Minister said.
During his address, Minister in-charge Power, James K. Sangma, said that it is the endeavour of the State power department to ensure power generating capacity of the State is increased, while stating that Meghalaya has the potential to the tune of 3000 MW.
Stating that the power sector in Meghalaya is faced with a lot of challenges the Minister said that things are set to improve in the near future. He informed that three new techno-economic clearances have been accorded in the last week to three projects in Meghalaya that will increase the installed capacity by additional 30 MW.
‘This is a very big achievement for the power department and the power department is really moving from strength to strength to ensure that we are once again a power surplus State. Similar future projects will not just provide a stable supply and enough electricity for everybody but also bring about a means of increased revenue generation for our State’, he said.
Others present for the laying of the foundation stone were local MLA Gigur Myrthong, Nongstoin MLA M. Byrsat and senior officials and functionaries from MePGCL and the district administration.
