22 Sep 2020  |   05:28am IST

People of South Goa feel “powerless”

Small towns and interior villages are bereft of basic services to get through these times. With internet down almost always, the failure of electricity has literally brought people to their knees, Team Herald went to ground zero to hear the voices of people
People of South Goa feel “powerless”

Monsoon and power cuts are synonymous in Sanguem

ALFRED FERNANDES


SANGUEM: Power failure problems in remote villages of Sanguem taluka has become a regular feature particularly during monsoon, when a large number of trees get uprooted and damage the power cables.  The Sanguem Electricity Department Office too is under-staffed and unable to restore power supply immediately as well as it takes them time to find the faults and rectify the same.

The villages of Rivona, Neturlim and Kalay are the worst hit due to frequent power supply problems, which ultimately affects not only day to day living of the people but also the conduct of agricultural activities and water supply.

At Netravali, the villagers are literally accustomed to frequent power supply problems in the village, informed Deputy Sarpanch Abhijit Dessai. The village that is situated in the Wild Life Sanctuary is often without power for days at a stretch. Dessai  added that cellular connectivity is an issue, which creates problems for linesmen to communicate with each other.

The issue was raised before  Power Minister who assured that the issue would be addressed in a few months, after the laying of underground cabling.

In the village of Kalay, the situation is not so different either, claimed social activist Amar Naik, while adding that there is a power cut every single day. Here too villagers have to live without power supply for days  during the monsoons.

Naik felt that the power dept should have looked at these issues as part of pre monsoon works such as cutting of bushes and trees below the power cables. 

The village of Rivona is also affected due to power supply problems, claimed the villagers. Social worker Amit Naik informed that remote areas such as that of Korla, Kazur and Nanegotto are the worst hit and need immediate replacement of around 20 electricity poles which are damaged and are on the verge of falling down.

The Kevona sub-station also doesn’t have an independent vehicle and the staff uses the vehicle attached to the Electricity Dept’s office in Quepem.


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Uninterrupted power supply only a dream for villagers


VIJAY DESSAI


CUNCOLIM: While there has been some improvement in  power supply as compared to the woes suffered by the local villagers, there are still problems that need to be addressed. This is the situation as far as the villages of Morpilla, Barcem, Fatorpa, Quitola, Betul, Khanaginim, Paddi, Khedem, Kajumol, Vargatimol, Subdolem, Bendurdem, Khola and surrounding areas. Now, the power department has set up centres for each panchayat area and has dedicated linesmen and staff to attend to the complaints. 

However, in some villages, there are power cuts at least 3 to 4 times a day. For instance, Sahil Fatarpekar from Fatorpa said he is facing power cuts every day. He added that this village is full of temples, which now depend on generators for  electricity.  Other locals say the electrical lines and equipment such as transformers need to be changed given that most are old and damaged.

Incidentally, in Cuncolim town, the power department spent nearly Rs 8 crores to replace such equipment. However there is still need for better infrastructure to address the persisting problems with locals calling for more transformers and underground cabling. 

Bombo Yamkar, a farmer from Paddi also demanded that the power dept ensures that streetlights are working  in rural villages.

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar