Tura, May 8: National People's Party (NPP) candidate Conrad K. Sangma today justified the scrapping of the six power deals with private companies during his tenure as finance and power minister in 2008.

Yesterday, while addressing an election rally at Dagal Apal, near Songsak, Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma had stated that Conrad had scrapped the "power deals" as he did not want to give the credit to the Congress government. The memorandum of agreements (MOAs) to set up six power projects in the state were inked with private companies by Mukul in 2007, while he was the state's power minister in the D.D. Lapang-led Congress government.

Reacting to the allegations, Conrad told reporters at his residence today, "Handing over of the power projects to private companies was against the interest of the state."

He said the Donkupar Roy government had to intervene as several pressure groups wanted the government to take another look at those projects.

"Some of the companies which were given the projects had no previous track record. The projects were allotted without calling for an international bidding. We had no other option than to rewrite the agreements, as it was a violation of the law," he added.

In 2007, Mukul, as the power minister, had signed the MOAs with Jaypee Group, Dharampal Satyapal Group, ETA Star infrastructure Limited, Athena Project Pvt. Ltd, Seven Sisters Energy Ltd and SEW Energy Ltd under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) system for 40 years.

The six companies had the mandate to develop the Kynshi Stage-I, Kynshi Stage-II, Umngot, Leshka Stage-II, Umiew and Simsang basin power projects.

"The agreements had no proper policy framework. It was more in the interest of the private companies," Conrad said.

If the Congress government was serious in developing power projects, why did not they consider allotment of such projects to central power corporations such as Neepco and NTPC, he asked.

"Our government was against the sellout of the state's interests to private companies," Conrad said.

Several organisations in the state had objected to signing of the projects. They had termed that the privatisation of power was a "total sell-out" of the state resources and the government must revoke it.

On Mukul's claim of wiping out the NPP from Garo hills, Conrad said, "In democracy, the people decide and elect a leader. As politicians, we can only explain our agenda and mission to the people. They are conscious about whom to vote and elect."

He said Mukul's claim to bury the NPP was not in good taste and it showed his frustration and anger as the Congress is losing its ground in Garo hills.