Team Herald
PANJIM: Frequent power failures have been plaguing residents, particularly those living in Vollant-Betim, who are suffering the most. To add to their woes, the unscheduled power cuts come at a time when the State is already reeling under high summer temperatures recorded between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius.
“There is a power shut down five to six times a day. Several complaints to the concerned electricity officials have fallen on deaf ears. We sweat because of the unbearable heat outside and repeated power cuts are worsening the situation,” a resident told Herald.
Amongst the residents, suffering most because of the power failures are senior citizens and students appearing for their final exams. With the temperature soaring every day, residents complained that it becomes impossible to even step out of the house to get relief from the heat indoors.
“If it was any other season, we could spend time sitting in the verandah or step out till the electricity supply is restored. But the summer season does not allow us to do so. It is ironical that the crisis hits during this time of the year. Senior citizens and students preparing for their exams are most affected,” another resident said.
The Electricity Department, on the other hand, has blamed overloading as the reason for the crisis. An official at the sub-division office at Calangute explained that the long weekend break resulted in the problem.
“The inflow of visitors to these areas coming under our jurisdiction saw a significant rise in demand during the last few days. This resulted into overloading,” he said. Asked as to when the matter would be resolved, the official said work is underway to tackle the problem by April-end.
