PANJIM: Residents of the Capital city had a very bad Sunday with no power from dawn to dusk today, and their sufferings could continue on Monday as the Capital city may not have regular water supply. The PWD has also warned that entire Bardez and Bicholim talukas will have restricted water supply from June 4 to 8 in order to replace the filter media at Assonora water treatment plant.
The work taken up by the electricity department at Kadamba plateau which had disrupted the power supply in the capital city of Panjim and surrounding areas since Sunday morning went on till 12 midnight. However, the power department said that it had tried to allot supply to different locations in the Capital in rotation till the entire power supply was restored.
“As the maintenance process was on, it started raining and there was thunder and due to that all the feeder lines had to be shut down. All the wires were down and it was not possible for the linesman to climb and work in the rains. But as the rains stopped it became dark and it became difficult for the linesman to actually work,” said Chief Electrical Engineer (CEC) Neelkanth Reddy.
On the other hand consumers were seen complaining as they were badly hit by the power interruptions since morning. The consumers also said that despite adequate power supply, some or the other parts of the Goa keep facing power interruptions for one reason or the other.
The power shut down in the capital on Sunday affected not only the residents but also businesses of hotels, pubs and restaurants. Some businessmen claimed that it is always the small businesses that are affected as big hotels and restaurants have the capacity to set up costly generators.
“No power. It has tripped five times since I texted you and at least 20 times all day. The Chief Engineer will have a lot to answer Panjikars tomorrow,” said a Caranzalem-based doctor when contacted.
Anirudha Bhaje, a resident of Taleigao, said, “Above all, the power interruptions disrupt the entire peace and sleep. The department says that they would be providing 24×7 power supply but nothing is done. There is no proper infrastructure in the State.”
The areas of Taleigao, Caranzalem, Mala and Bhatlem were the worst affected as the consumers complained that power supply tripped every 20-25 minutes since morning.
It is time Goans wake up and come out on to the streets to highlight the issue of frequent power cuts across the State, said a Panjim resident on condition of anonimity.
In the last few days, the intermittent pre-monsoon showers have led to regular power interruptions in Panjim, Merces, Porvorim, Sankhali, Valpoi, Canacona, Margao and Quepem.
The Electricity Department says that the existing infrastructure at substations is not adequate to handle the load and to ensure the supply to meet the needs of the people. On the other hand people have questioned the department saying that if there are so many power outages due to the pre-monsoon showers what will be the scenario when the monsoon actually starts.
The reason for the black out in Tiswadi is due to High tension wire being drawn for Mangalams Casa Amora and Gera at Kadamba Plateau.” Pandurang Madkaiker.
Electricity Department also said that the supply has worsened recently due to lightning and gusty winds while claiming that other reason is due to digging of the roads. Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar on Friday had said the State is facing power problems due to old infrastructure and claimed that underground cabling is the only solution to power woes.
However power was not restored to some places till midnight
