STELCO spends MVR 5 million on quarantine facilities

State Electric Company (STELCO)’s Managing Director Hassan Mughnee, on Saturday, announced the company has spent approximately MVR 5 million to develop isolation and quarantine facilities in the country.

Mughnee appeared for a press briefing at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) to provide an update on STELCO’s work on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking at the press conference, Mughnee announced that STELCO has spent millions on developing quarantine facilities.

“STELCO has contributed within the range of MVR 5 million to MVR 6 million,” he said.

STELCO’s General Manager Abdulla Nazeer provided an update on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects being run by the company to support the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus in the country.

Nazeer said the company had established the electricity systems in the COVID Village Facility, the Gulhifalhu Facility, and the Vilivaru Facility, and continued to provide electricity services to the facilities under its CSR projects.

“Our employees are doing important work under CSR to establish electricity facilities in the COVID Village developed in Hulhumale’, establish supply and distribution system and provide electricity services at the migrant accommodation developed in Gulhifalhu, and establish electricity facilities at the quarantine facility developed in Vilivaru,” he said.

Nazeer said that STELCO will continue to provide its support to operations to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

MD Mughnee said STELCO has suspended its large scale projects in order reduce its expenditures, and was exploring implementing cost cutting measures in additional operations.

“We have stalled many of our major projects to cut costs. And we have also identified and have cut costs in other areas,” he said.

Mughnee said that STELCO had begun implementing cost cutting measures even prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the emergence of coronavirus cases, STELCO switched its services, including bill payment, to virtual platforms. It has also ceased visits to take meter readings, and now requires customers to submit pictures of meter readings via a virtual patform.