The villagers of Benaulim have been left high and dry and have been deprived of a basic necessity – consistent and steady power supply. A comparison of the poor electricity related issues across the villages shows that Benaulim certainly is one of the worst affected.
The locals of Benaulim led by former Sarpanch and ward 3 panch member, Royla Fernandes had protested at the Benaulim sub-station, the Aquem power house and the office of the Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva.
The local community have given the electricity department till next Tuesday to address all their grievances as they are upset that previous complaints and agitations have only been fed with lip service while precious little has been done to solve the problems.
A drive on the roads at night where the streets are in darkness as some of the streetlights are not working doesn’t paint the most secure and safe picture.
With the spate of thefts in the village another concern, locals are upset that the situation has not yet improved even as neighbouring Colva has seen their streetlights restored recently.
In addition to the already burgeoning security and power supply concerns, locals have also pointed out that their electrical appliances are forced to bear the brunt of the issue and question why they have to constantly call the electrician to fix faulty power circuits which burn due to the fluctuating voltage.
Cold storage units and offices in particular are deeply upset as this has affected their business working hours, raised their maintenance costs and made it unbearable to sit in the stifling heat when the power supply goes off.
Fernandes pointed out that they have been receiving bad supply in the evening and that when there is power, at time it is with such low voltage that even fans do not operate. Fernandes and the Benaulim locals have also pointed out that this is not just a matter of when the power will return but how it is damaging costly items like refrigerators, television sets, microwaves and air conditioners among other equipment.
Locals are not ready to accept any lip service this time and want a proper study conducted to evaluate what is going wrong in their village and have demanded for a separate transformer.
It is another issue that a similar agitation carried out in the last week of June at the Benaulim sub-station saw the power officials themselves complain of shortage of staff which they blamed on their inability to attend to all the grievances at the same time.
Locals have taken the liberty to provide the power department with examples of what requires urgent repairs and have given a list of numerous electric poles in their ward and constituency that have deteriorated and are in a terrible condition. Some even point out that these poles are older than their own children, touching 40 years and unlike the aged, these come with no safety and thus pose a risk to the neighbourhood. They also warned the power department of trying to take shortcuts and pointed out how in the past temporary measures have turned out to be permanent measures and the consequence of such shoddy work is that wires are badly joined and never replaced.
While Fernandes has suggested that the numbering of poles would help sustain and maintain the streetlights, locals have called for better management and review of the power problems affecting their village and ward.
Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva stated that he has already demanded that the power department takes up the work of restoration and maintenance of the lines on a priority basis to ensure that there are no power cuts. Silva added that he had raised the issue in the recently concluded Assembly Session and with the authorities concerned.
