TEAM HERALD
VASCO: The electricity department’s delay in disconnecting power supply to 74 huts is being blamed for the failure of authorities to demolish all the huts on time, enabling a displaced resident to obtain a court stay on the demolition of eight huts on Friday.
South Goa Collector Venancio Furtado has said he will order a probe regarding the disconnection of the power supply by the electricity department at the last moment.
The electricity department on Friday morning started to disconnect the power supply to the 74 huts that were served demolition notice by South Goa Collector Venancio Furtado.
Though Furtado during high-level meeting had directed the electricity department to disconnect the power supply well in advance, the department decided to disconnect the power supply on Friday morning, thereby delaying the demolition process of the 74 huts by almost an hour.
Asked why the electricity department did not disconnect the power supply the previous evening despite the Collector directing them to finish the disconnection process on Thursday, an official from the electricity department told Herald that the South Goa Collector had informed them on Friday morning to disconnect the power supply.
When contacted, Furtado flatly denied the claim of the electricity department official. “During the high-level meeting, I had informed the electricity department officials present to disconnect the power supply a day before the demolition.”
“During my visit to Baina and in the course of inspection, I found out that a very few huts had electricity meters, while most of the huts had illegally taken power supply. I had brought this matter to the notice of the electricity department officials and had directed them to initiate action against all the migrants who had illegally tapped power. I will conduct an inquiry as far as disconnection of the power supply by the electricity department at the last moment.”
