Guwahati, Jan. 18: The first sectoral conclave on power generation ended at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh yesterday with the participants harping on the need to restructure policies to suit the requirements of the Northeast.

The Pasighat proclamation also called for providing “power to the people”.

The two-day sectoral summit was attended by DoNER minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.

It chalked out the “Pasighat proclamation on power”, emphasising the need for a “clear, coherent and consistent” policy with respect to the power sector of the Northeast.

The most important element of the policy is to take the benefits of power availability to the people of the region. Addressing a news conference here today, the minister said he was shocked on discovering that electricity goes to 62 per cent of the villages of the region but only 24 per cent of the households actually benefit.

He said priority must be given to small hydel power programmes for the region, to be supplemented by other sources of new and renewable energy such as biomass and solar energy.

“It is evident that the existing structure of small hydro programmes is proving inadequate for accelerated implementation in the Northeast.

Of the 492 projects in Arunachal Pradesh, which has the highest small hydroelectric potential, only 64 projects have been implemented,” Aiyar said.

He urged representatives of the local community, elected through panchayati raj institutions and village development councils, to be involved in management, repair and maintenance of small hydel power projects.

On utilisation of power generated in the Northeast for accelerated economic development, he said inter-state transmission within the region must be prioritised.

Concerted attention also needs to be paid for funding sub-transmissions systems so that ample power is available for consumers in the region, the minister added.