MeECL is a slave of indecision

The CMD of MeECL told media persons on July 19 that his company has several hydro projects in the pipeline to solve the perennial power deficit problem in Meghalaya. He also mentioned that these projects would help the state avoid dependency on power from other suppliers and save on payments for power.

Now, may I ask him what has prevented his company from taking up these prospective viable power projects like the 480 MW Kynshi-I, 210 MW Leshka and 240 MW Umngot, besides a host of smaller megawatt projects?

These projects may need a huge investment and require some years of gestation period. Still, if and when they are commissioned, the power generated from these projects will not only be sufficient for the requirement of the state but also can export power outside our state and thereby bring in huge revenue for MeECL.

We all dream for that to happen. When will the happy days return to MeECL like in the days when its predecessor, MeSEB, had surplus power generation? Can the CMD backed by the expertise of the members of the Board of Directors and so many engineers under his stewardship of MeECL can overturn the precarious unenviable position of MeECL? I hope that they can do it with the help of the leadership of the Power Department. However, going by records of the last over 50 years, the Power Department leadership has miserably failed to provide the leadership that the Board/Corporation needed most.