Shillong, April 13: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has pointed out that the frequent power disruption is a violation of the rights to the electricity by the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) as given in the “Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020” notified by the Union government.
In a statement issued on Thursday, KHNAM vice president Thomas Passah said the Union Ministry of Power had promulgated rules on the rights of power consumers in the country.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy had stated, “These rules shall empower the consumers of electricity and added that the rules emanate from the conviction that the power systems exist to serve the consumers and the consumers have rights to get the reliable services and quality electricity.”, Passah quoted the minister.
The minister had also said that distribution companies across the country are monopolies – whether government or private – and the consumer has no alternative – therefore it was necessary that the consumers’ rights be laid down in rules and a system for enforcement of these rights be put in place, Passah said.
“The frequent power cut faced by the public is a violation of the consumers as per the rules of the union government and the state government has to take cognisance of the same,” he said.
Water supply shortage
Further, he said similarly, water shortage especially faced by the people living in the Municipal areas is not justified after the consumer paid the due taxes to the Government, and water being main element of life. “Therefore it can be said the disruption of water supply is also a violation of a fundamental right to life of the citizens of the state,” he said.
