Gambegre(Meghalaya), July 8: Power Minister Abu Taher Mondal attended an Interaction programme with Nokmas and village elders relating to Power supply issues at Aminda Rangsa, Gambegre, West Garo Hills on Monday. Mondal was accompanied by Sanjay Goyal, Commissioner & Secretary, Power Department along with the senior officials of Meghalaya Electricity Corporation Limited (MeECL).
In his speech, the minister assured that the issues raised by the traditional heads are being noted down and said, “When officers are present at the program, the issues and problems at hand can be discussed. Urban and rural issues are similar now. Within next 5 years, power or electricity in every village should be uninterrupted. A sub-station should be set up with advance systems, and voltages should be improved. A new Substation is being installed at Damalgre and within 2 – 3 months it should be done. There are three villages in Gambegre with no electricity, and we will see to it that electricity will be there. During rainy days, cyclones, thunderstorm, the lines get disrupted and that should be resolved first. Every household in the villages should get electricity. Roads and small bridges can be built through convergence with MGNREGS. Electricity problems arise sometimes because of tripping.”
Mondal also reviewed the power department works and schemes of Garo Hills and directed officers to maintain power in the region especially in the aftermath of the heavy rains and resultant damage to the power lines in the region.
Commissioner and Secretary, Power Department, Sanjay Goyal said that the meeting was organized to hear and understand the issues faced by the people and take necessary steps to resolve the shortcomings. He said “Today’s meeting is at the behest of the Chief Minister and Power Minister, who is also looking after the C & RD. We are now focusing on area-wise, block-wise as to what are the issues and the problems, especially in the Power sector. The MeECL, Power Department is trying its best to ensure that we get a reliable power, with less interruptions, to get good amount of electricity round the day and we are working on it. A sub-station has also come up in this area which is going to ensure that the power supply to this area is reliable and continuous, with less interruptions.”
He observed that the interaction will help the Power Department to understand the problems faced by the residents, thereby improving the functioning of the department.
