TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: All across Goa, with the first pre-monsoon showers, people are reeling under power cuts. As the rain begins, the power shuts off. Unlike the short periods of darkness, Goans have suffered long hours without power.
However, department top brass insist that it has nothing to do with their state of preparedness or that here is a shortfall in supply. They contribute the power cuts to lightning strikes or falling branches or trees being uprooted by the gusty winds.
“This is due to the heavy rain, lightning and tree fall,” says chief electrical engineer, Laxmanam when asked about the power cuts witnessed in the state especially when the rain begins.
“Whenever there is a fault we try to rectify it as soon as possible. But many times if there are multiple faults, it takes some time,” he says. He also reiterates that there is enough power and even during peak hours they ensure that the domestic power is not affected.
According to the chief engineer, they are busy with the pre-monsoon works like maintenance of various power stations, cutting of tree branches. He assured that the department is fully equipped to take care of falling trees and lightning strikes. “If needed we will even engage extra contract staff,”
he says.
Erratic power
In Majorda and surrounding power supply cut is for nearly 5 hours to 12 hours almost everyday causing great inconvenience to people, especially in the month of May, when the heat is unbearable. Also, the long power cuts spoil perishable food kept in the fridge. Repeated calls to the electricity department to restore power supply have fallen on deaf ears. This happens throughout the year and in the month of May it is more. I request the authorities of the electricity department to see that the linesman appointed on duty do their work honestly to restore power supply immediately without delay to bring relief to the common man. I also request the local MLA to kindly look into the matter to see that power supply is restored immediately after rectifying faults. Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
Have locking system for transformers
At many locations, we come across transformers either in exposed condition or the door being tied up with the help of a wire/string. In both these cases, pedestrians at large are subjected to great risk and danger. Even near some of the government primary schools, I have noticed exposed transformers on different occasions.
Under such circumstances, lives of innocent school students are at risk. With pre-monsoon maintenance work of the electricity department under progress, it would be appropriate for higher officials at this department to provide a suitable locking system for all transformers situated along main roads so that pedestrians and in particular young children do not come in contact with live electrical wires. Safety must be assured at all costs.
By the way, a hanging bulb of a streetlight fixture adjacent to village panchayat of Queula has remained neglected for long.
The same needs to be re-fixed in its original position so that it serves its basic purpose. So also, a protective cover of a switch at the transformer adjacent to the fire station at Varkhandem is in a pitiful state.
The same needs to be replaced at once. Dirt has accumulated inside the focus lamps. The electricity department needs to speed up its maintenance works in public
interest.
Pravin U Sardessai, Adpai
Speed up maintenance works
It is experienced over the years that preventive maintenance works that various departments take up to face the onslaught of monsoons often continues even after the first showers hit the state, causing a lot of inconvenience to people. We have so many months to carry out various repair and maintenance works and the same should be completed preferably by the end of May.
Every year, we wait in anticipation that our roads would be free of water-logging but it is inevitably experienced that whenever a heavy showers strike, some parts even of the capital city are inundated. Can we expect things to be different this year?
Another routine agony that one has to undergo during the monsoons is frequent power interruptions. We are invariably told that the thick vegetation in the vicinity of power lines is reason for power failures. However, it is within our means to resort to trimming and cutting of trees to eliminate this problem.
These days it is news that there is power cut due to shortage of power at the national grids. It is beyond the purview of the state to find a solution to this problem that is faced at the national level.
Nonetheless, it would be fitting to stress that whenever an offer was made to this state to have its own thermal power plant for large scale power generation, the proposal was spurned contending that it would cause pollution and the spiralling tourism boom would be affected.
Michael Vaz, Merces
