Take water supply for instance. Is it too much to ask for continuous water supply throughout the State? In South Goa major repair works at the Selaulim plant kept the district almost dry for a few days, while a water pipeline burst in North led to a similar situation in parts of North Goa. In Ponda, it was a different issue related to water supply as people were protesting the inflated bills that they have been receiving for the water consumed. Rather than boasting of having achieved the target of water supply connections to every household, shouldn’t the government be supplying water to all these taps?
Similar is the case with electricity supply where power outages, especially in the rural areas. Earlier this month Herald had reported on the power outages and load restrictions across Goa causing problems for residents and businesses. Hoteliers have complained that they spend enormous sums on backup generators and fuel, whose costs are rising, as the power supply from the government cannot be relied upon. The outages are not for short periods, but can at times last for hours, forcing hoteliers to dig deep into their reserves to meet the power needs of their establishments and keep guests in comfort. Industrialists face similar issues and have complained of this often in the past as well as in the present. The issue, however, does not get settled.
It cannot be denied that Goa’s power and water needs have been increasing over the years, primarily due to commercial and industrial requirements. What is happening is that the delivery of the services is just not keeping pace with the rising demand for water and power. There is a gap and it cannot be filled as the long term planning has just not taken into account the needs of the future. Take for instance the water supply problems that South Goa has faced in recent weeks. It has been so because major repair work of two gates of the water treatment plant at Selaulim was being carried out after three decades and these were urgently required. Why should repairs of such an important plant be taken up only after a gap of 30 years? It is clear that this was not a priority of the successive governments that Goa has had.
On the other hand, the government has often, at infrequent intervals spoken of underground cabling for the power supply lines and how this will streamline the supply. Yet, very little of this underground cabling has actually been accomplished. In the meantime, the consumers suffer from outages and power cuts, as the overhead wires remain at the mercy of the elements of nature. Even if the investment for underground cabling is high, shouldn’t the government find the resources to undertake this?
As the elections approach and parties get into the manifesto preparation stage, can they guarantee that Goa will get uninterrupted water and power supply? For that the State requires long-lasting solutions and the best time to force these is before an election. Parties have begun to promise and guarantee a variety of things, with direct cash deposits being one of them as also free services. What Goa requires is the delivery of uninterrupted services, especially of water and electricity and not free services. Goans will be willing to pay for the services, if the delivery matches the tariff. This, all political parties have to understand and appreciate. The delivery of services is more important.
