Meghalaya government has assured of disbursing Rs. 100 crore, out of a total of Rs. 630 crore, to the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) from the first tranche of the Rs. 1,345 crore loan under Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme.
This assurance was given by Meghalaya power minister James PK Sangma during his meeting with Union power minister Raj Kumar Singh in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Sangma apprised the Union minister of the current power situation in Meghalaya, especially the regulation of power supply to the state by the NTPC due to certain issues related to the Letter of Credit.
An official statement said during the meeting, Sangma informed the Union power minister that the NTPC had recently invoked the Letter of Credit thereby restricting Short Term Open Access (STOA) through the North Eastern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NERLDC) which led to the disruption of power in the state.
The statement said Sangma also informed the Union minister that the Meghalaya Government had already expressed its commitment to repay outstanding energy dues and late payment surcharges by availing Rs. 1,345 crore Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme loan and even disbursing Rs. 100 crore out of the Rs. 630 crore to the NTPC from the first tranche.
Sangma requested the Union power minister to intervene in the matter and consider revoking the restrictions at the level of the NERLDC at the earliest.