Meghalaya embarks on mission to curb power theft

SHILLONG: Meghalaya power minister James Sangma announced the project for bill quality and reducing power theft.

Sangma recently announced that the project would help increase bill efficiency from 73 per cent to 100 per cent. He said the move would assist in bill collection and, as a result, revenue generation.

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By sending warnings to the agency, the project is supposed to minimise electricity theft. The total cost of the project is Rs 232.96 crore. Each metre will be priced at Rs 3,750. In rural areas, 2 lakh smart metres will be installed.

Previously, Sangma stated that the loss of power caused by faulty or damaged wiring is around 32-34 per cent, which is the highest in the country, due to previous governments' negligence.

Sangma said, to make up for these losses, MeECL (Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited) must pay a higher price for the power it needs in order to efficiently supply it to customers. Previous governments caused the problems, which is incredibly frustrating since no power distribution business can operate in the long run with such huge problems.

He said Meghalaya is fortunate to obtain grants from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth Rs 893 crore for the installation of smart metres, the repair of broken wiring, and the establishment of more effective distribution systems. He clarified that since the money is a grant rather than a loan, the state government is not obligated to repay it.

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