FKJGP to agitate on power deal in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jun 20 (UNI) The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People's (FKJGP) has called a 12-hour Meghalaya bandh on June 27 demanding scrapping of a power deal inked between the state government and six private companies.

"There is no difference between the previous Congress government and the present MPA government as the latter has not scrapped the power deal with the six private companies as it promised during the election," FKJGP president Emlang Lyttan told reporters here.

The NGO also warned that if the government failed to respond positively to its demand for scrapping the deal, it will intensify the agitation.

The controversial power deal was signed during the last Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government with Jaypee Group, Dharampal Satyapal Group, ETA Star infrastructure Limited, Athena Project Private Limited, Seven Sisters Energy Limited and SEW Energy Limited under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) system for 40 years.

The six companies would develop the Kynshi Stage-I, Kynshi Stage-II, Umngot, Leshka Stage-II, Umiew and Simsang Basin.

In a reaction to FKJGP's bandh, Meghalaya Power Minister Conrad K Sangma said the government can take a stand on the power deal only after the government constituted high-powered committee headed by Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee submitted its report.

The committee had been constituted to review the power deal.

"The committee will submit it report by Tuesday and after that it will be circulated to the ministers to study. The ministers will then give their views and accordingly the cabinet will act,'' Mr Sangma said.

The NCP and UDP, which are now leading the coalition government, had promised to scrap the deal if they were voted to power.

Now that both the parties are leading the coalition government, there have not been any visible steps taken to scrap the deal as was promised during the election.

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