TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
CHRISTANAND PEDNEKAR
QUEPEM: Power supply in the villages of Quepem and Curchorem has been erratic during the monsoon with most villages facing issues of frequent power cuts or fluctuations.
The absence of proper infrastructure along with inadequate maintenance work before the monsoon have been cited as reasons for the power woes faced by the villages.
A local from Xeldem village, Philip D'Souza complained that household electrical appliances suffer because of this and that this also leads to short circuits incidents in some cases. Ivo Fernandes, a local from Pontemol demanded that the Power Minister Nilesh Cabral takes this matter seriously as this comes at a great cost and inconvenience to the domestic consumers. Another local from Assolda, Annette Pereira, said they had taken up the issue of frequent power cuts with Curchorem Electricity Department, who informed them that there was an issue during the monsoon which has been attended to and that the voltage fluctuation problem will also be sorted shortly.
Datta Velip opined that the power supply issue isbigger in underdeveloped villages like Gokulde, Barcem, Padi, Khede, Supdhale, Assolda, Kiskon and Kajugotte where there is no proper cellular connectivity either. This leads to problems with internet access, especially for students and their e-learning classes.
Another villager named Suresh Velip lamented that there are always power cuts at the start of the monsoon wherein sometimes the villages are cut off from power supply for three days a stretch.
The power department has also pointed to issues such as cyclonic winds, landslides, trees falling on electric poles that have led to power cuts in the areas, which takes a long time to fix. However, residents from Fatorpa, Morpilla feel the power department should have had proper contingency plans in place.
