Meghalaya power crisis eases post rainfall, CM urges sustainable solution

Rain in several states bring misery and pain but for power-starved Meghalaya it has definitely come as a boon. The recent showers have brought much respite to the state that was reeling under severe power shortage, some areas facing load shedding for as long as 10 hours. But Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has warned against any complacency, urged caution and emphasized the need for prudence and long-term planning to ensure sustainable power supply in the state.

Sangma stressed the importance of recognizing that even with the arrival of rain, the government must devise strategies to sustain the power supply throughout the year. This proactive approach aims to avoid the recurrence of power cuts lasting 8 to 10 hours, which have plagued the state in recent times.

“We need to make plans to ensure that we don’t have to face prolonged power cuts and minimize inconvenience to our citizens,” said Chief Minister Sangma.

Highlighting a significant milestone, Sangma shared that, for the first time in Meghalaya’s history, all three regions of the state are contributing to power production. The Ganol Hydro Power Project in Garo Hills, the Myntdu Leshka-I hydroelectric plant in West Jaintia Hills, and the Umiam power plant are collectively supplying power to the state.

“For the first time in history in our state all three regions have been producing power. We have Ganol Hydro Power Project from Garo Hills, Myntdu Leshka-I hydroelectric plant from West Jaintia Hills and Umiam power plant producing power supply in the state,” said CM Sangma

While acknowledging the progress made, the Chief Minister said that there is still much work to be done. He empathized with the challenges faced by the people and said to minimize their inconveniences.

He also said that eliminating power cuts may not be feasible, but need to put the importance of prudence in ensuring a sustainable power supply in the future.

“This is a positive step forward and a lot needs to be done. People are facing a lot of challenges and they have seen a bit of improvement due to rainfall, will try to minimise the bit of inconvenience people are having but it will not be possible for us to completely take it out and the reason being said is that we need to be prudent and be able to sustain things in a manner that we don’t have to face the situation of heavy cuts in the future,” said CM Sangma.

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