I wish to highlight the pathetic and comical electricity situation in my village – Nerul in North Goa. The power goes off so many times a day that no one keeps count anymore.
One can condone when it is three to five times a day (that too would not be tolerated in any other part) but when your power supply goes off for around 20 to 30 times a day, you cannot but question the efficiency and dedication. And this is not an exaggeration, but the real power situation in Nerul.
The frequent outrages last from a nanosecond to six hours. How can anyone explain this? Calling the helpline 1912 is useless and just a waste of time, as they can only take your complaint but do nothing about it except say that the matter will be reported to the concerned department.
To their credit, this department is doing a sterling job, considering the huge number of angry calls they must be receiving throughout the day. Has anyone from the power ministry considered the socio-economic impact this has had on the affected population? Modern economies are increasingly dependent on the services of a reliable power sector. This implies that the socio-economic cost of power outages can be considerably larger when the cascading effects and interdependencies among infrastructures are taken into account. The effect it has on the local population when they encounter this sort of power outages so frequently. Everything in one’s house is connected to power and once this is gone then nothing works – TV, radio, landline telephones, mobile phone chargers, fridges, micros etc. One has to just sit around and wait indefinitely fir the power supply to be restored.
The absence of electricity in a rural household makes the refrigeration of food items and enjoyment of leisure time difficult therefore reducing their living standard. The effect it has on the electrical and electronic gadgets in the house. Almost everyone has a collection of TVs, fridges, laptops etc which have got spoilt because of fluctuation of incoming current. The nanosecond outage is the main culprit. The effect it has on perishables stored in the fridge/freezer. Now people have now resorted to storing a minimal amount of food in the freezers.
And what about the perishables sold in the commercial outlets? Do you think they destroy items that have thawed? Bacteria may grow in foods that are allowed to thaw partially and then are refrozen. Do you think they care? Power outage shortens the business hours of those living in rural communities and therefore reduces their income and means of livelihood. Hence, the business owners have to make up for lost time by selling thawed and refrozen food.
Power outages constitute a major challenge to the education of rural households – imagine trying to study without lights and use of laptops and other online study material. Why is only Nerul more affected by this power problem? When I tell my friends and colleagues from other parts of Goa about this they seem surprised as they have regular power and if at all there is an interruption it is minor.
Is this power problem endemic to Nerul? The helpline people keep saying “load-shedding” – my only question is how many times in a day do you do this “load-shedding?” 20 times is a bit too much isn’t it? If this is the state of affairs now, then I shudder to imagine what will be the ground reality when all this so called talks of “vertical development” actually materializes. Is the government planning or preparing for such eventualities? Or is it “let the next government handle it” attitude? The people of Nerul and Goa certainly deserve much better.
