Ardent writes to power minister on tariff hike

A Correspondent

Shillong, April 27: HSPDP legislator from Nongkrem, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit today submitted a representation to the Meghalaya Power Minister Clement Marak on what he stated as irratiol escalation of electricity bill.

In the letter, Basaiawmoit said that “it is unimagible to know that the amount payable by the consumers has gone up by more than 500 per cent.”

Terming the hike in power tariffs by the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) as unsympathetic, he said that it was not justifiable at all.

“The poor consumers are subjected to frequent mental stress and harassment with this mindless step taken by the MeECL from time to time,” Basaiawmoit said in his letter.

According to the Nongkrem legislator, to rub salt to the wounds, the corporation further pelizes the poor consumers by charging interest should they fail to make payment at a given time.

He also said that it is unfortute that the billing system remains unchanged though the authority concerned is fully aware of the problem faced by the consumers.

“There is a strong suspicion that the corporation is trying to compensate its loss by indirectly and conveniently passing the burden to the consumers,” Basaiawmoit alleged in his letter.

He also said that the installation of new meters has further added to the confusion in the mind of the consumers.

The Nongkrem legislator claim that he has received complaints that immediately after replacement of a meter, bills have sky-rocketed, leaving the consumers with no option but to disconnect the electricity supply.