CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Meghalaya’s Power Minister, A.T. Mondal, on Tuesday highlighted challenges and progress in implementing the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) during a national conference chaired by Union Power Minister in New Delhi. In particular, he raised concerns regarding the cost discrepancies in the Smart Meter Scheme, noting that the “discovered cost of Smart Meters is much higher than the sanctioned amount despite being similar to costs in other North-Eastern states.”
Mondal requested an increase in the subsidy per meter, stating that without additional financial support, the burden of additional cost would either be passed on to the consumer or borne by the utility, which he argued would “defeat the overall purpose of the scheme.”
The conference, held at Yashobhoomi (IICC), included discussions on RDSS progress, Rights of Consumer Rules, the PM Har Ghar Saurya Yojna, resource adequacy, and the development of pumped storage projects. Senior officials, including CMDs from NTPC, NEEPCO, PGCIL, and SJVNL, as well as secretaries from the Ministry of Power and MNRE, were in attendance.
Addressing pumped storage development in Meghalaya, Mondal informed attendees that the state has received proposals for projects with a cumulative capacity of 4,800 MW. However, he cautioned that “the tariff of these projects is likely to be very high” and requested that the Ministry of Power “consider some kind of benefits in terms of free power to the state” to offset the anticipated costs.
Mondal also sought renewed support for renewable energy initiatives, particularly small hydro projects. There are several small hydro projects for which the DPR has been completed and the development of these projects can be started immediately, he stated, noting that lack of funding has stalled progress. He urged MNRE to re-start the stopped Central Financial Assistance of Rs. 7.5 Crore per MW for small hydro projects so that smaller states like Meghalaya can benefit.
In response, the secretary of MNRE announced that a meeting dedicated to addressing issues specific to North Eastern states would be held in Shillong on November 27 and 28.
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