Erratic power supply and frequent outages is a certainty in Keri, Poriem and Morlem villages in Sattari taluka. This has been happening for about two years but has been ignored by the department officials.
Last year people from the villages suffered power failure for over eight days because trees had fallen on the electricity overhead line between Keri and Poriem resulting in damages to the line. Since this line is around 15 years old and passes through the forest, it is prone to snap due to the cyclonic winds in the monsoon and uprooting of trees on the line.
Currently, some lines are tangled giving rise to the power failure. It also becomes difficult to undertake quick repairs in the monsoon as the line passes thorugh the forest. Over 10,000 people face the problem. For the last month since the rains have started, people have been facing power supply problems and once the supply goes it takes up to three hours to be restored.
Keri sarpanch Ganu Gawas said, “For the last couple of years people from Keri, Morlem and Poriem have been facing problems. The government should be serious about the issue and take steps to resolve it.”
In order to ease the problems, Electricity Department had proposed underground cabling in the forest area three years ago but this has not been sanctioned till date.
Forest Department is also not permitting cutting down of trees affecting the power line, though this would have reduced power failures. Underground cabling is therefore the only solution.
“Problems regarding electricity will be solved permanently when underground cabling is done,” Poriem Sarpanch Yeshwant Naik said.
