PANJIM: Claiming that it has been hit badly by power outages, the Pilerne Industrial Estate Industries Association (PIEIA) has said it would be forced to close down operations if the situation does not improve.
“The industries located at Pilerne Industrial Estate have been reeling under poor electricity supply for last four years. The association has held several meetings with Electricity Department, successive power ministers and approached all associations for help to solve the problems but it has now reached the unbearable and untenable situation,” says a press release issued by the association.
The release says there are at least 6-10 power outages daily and the industries agony is unimaginable.
“The association has been hit due to severe production losses, damage to CNC machines and mounting diesel costs for the generators. There is poor or no response from Electricity Department, when we call them. The officials simply say the problem is at Tivim and we are asked to approach higher authorities,” the release states.
The PIEIA says despite a substantial revenue from the Pilerne Estate there is no dedicated staff from Electricity Department in the estate.
“We are at the mercy of Candolim and Porvorim sub-stations, and often engineers are not available to attend to breakdowns. The amount of diesel consumed by generators at the estate exceeds Rs 50 lakh. The consequential cost of production is unviable,” the released further added.
“Industries in Pilerne employ over 6,000 people and have serious contribution to the State and Central exchequer. Today, the operations of those industries hang in precarious balance,” it added.
“If urgent action is not taken, industries will be forced to close operations, especially MSMEs. The Goa government should not invite more industries until the base requirement of the existing industries is met,” the release stated adding “We need continuous, uninterrupted power, dedicated engineer posted at the estate, additional load for existing industries for expansion, and assurance that new load connections are not given without satisfying existing units.”
