Shillong, Aug 31: Following the Meghalaya Power Minister James Sangma’s statement that the Umngot Hydro Electric Project (UHEP) was not a priority of the state government, member of the Joint Action Committtee (JAC) against UHEP and general secretary of Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) Treibor Raul Suchen on Tuesday called Sangma’s statement as ambiguous.

Suchen said that there was no clarity or wasn’t specific with his statement especially about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that it was scrapped. “It is totally an ambiguous statement which doesn’t have any clarification or specify any wording that it can be said that the project has been scrapped. It is not a clear statement,” said Suchen.

He also asked for the reasons for the public hearings in 2021 if the MoU has been scrapped.

“If you look at these two particular public hearings called in two districts that was in East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills, there was something behind it. If the government really wanted to scrap it, they should come up with a clear message to the people or stakeholders who totally oppose this project so as to say the government willingly have come up with a consensus to scrap it,” said Suchen.

The JAC will be sitting for another meeting along with the different associations, hotel owners and stakeholders and will also try to meet the Power Minister to seek for a clearer answer.

MoU with Jaypee group scrapped in 2020 

He also recalled that in a news reported in August, 2020, the MoU signed by the government with the Jaypee group had been terminated in the year 2020.

The MoU signed between the then Congress government with Jaypee group in 2007 was later terminated by the present MDA govt in 2020.

Suchen said that it was surprising that if the MoU was scrapped in 2020 they why there was a public hearing in 2021.