Shillong, July 5: Meghalaya Power Minister A.T. Mondal made a strong appeal for the immediate release of pending Power System Development Fund (PSDF) allocations during the 16th National Power Committee (NPC) meeting held in Shillong on Friday.

Mondal, who also serves as Chairperson of the North Eastern Regional Power Committee (NERPC), highlighted that despite formal approval of the Northeast’s long-term transmission roadmap, the PSDF funds remain frozen, delaying key infrastructure upgrades across the region.

“The ‘Transmission System Requirement of NER States & Sikkim up to 2031–32’ has already been approved by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), yet the funds are still pending,” Mondal said, urging the NPC and CEA leadership to fast-track the disbursal process.

Detailing Meghalaya’s recent progress, the Minister said the state has added 434 circuit kilometres of 220kV and 132kV transmission lines and increased its transformation capacity by 1,130 MVA over the past five years. Upcoming projects are expected to add 1,090 circuit kilometres and 760 MVA, requiring approximately ₹2,270 crore in funding.

Mondal also called for the establishment of a dedicated 132/33 kV substation in Baghmara, a border area, to enhance power connectivity in remote and strategic regions.

The NPC meeting brought together 33 delegates and senior officials, including CEA Chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad. Several key national-level decisions were adopted:

1. Transition from SDH to MPLS communication technology in ISTS systems.

2. Finalisation of third-party substation audit criteria.

3. Adoption of uniform accounting software across RPCs and the NPC.

4. Enforcement of technical minimum scheduling for thermal ISGS and state generators.

5. Installation of cybersecurity firewalls at ISTS substations.