QUEPEM: Residents of Avadem Village Panchayat area facing severe hardships due to frequent power fluctuations during night, which is damaging the electrical equipment in the houses.
The soaring temperature is making things even more difficult. The locals have been complaining about the power fluctuation problem to Quepem Electricity Department, but they haven’t got any respite yet.
Avadem Village Panchayat area is located barely around three kilometres away from Quepem. Proper power supply is a necessity. The issue of power fluctuation was discussed during the gram sabha. Yet, the problem persists even though the local MLA Alton D’Costa promised to look into this matter at the gram sabha, the locals alleged.
A resident of Avadem, Vishal Desai said, “Although, the government promised to provide round-the-clock electricity to Avedem village, it is still on paper and the concerned department has not taken any action in this regard. The Centre has declared 100 per cent rural electrification. But, a village is considered electrified only if it has basic electrical infrastructure and 10 per cent of households have access to electricity.”
Desai said that rural electrification is only on paper. The reality is people are suffering due to poor quality of power supply.
He said that the Avedem villagers had demanded a dedicated line man for resolving power related complaints. But this demand hasn’t been met.
“In the gram sabha, we had taken up the issues related to the problem of frequent power outage during monsoon and replacement of old power lines. But there hasn’t been any action. The local Electricity Department staff only attends to complaints made by rich businessmen,” Desai alleged.
Another villager Ashish Phal Desai said, “We know that power outages are natural during monsoon, because some things are impossible to control during bad weather conditions and damage to the high tension wires. But during other seasons, there should be proper electricity.”
He said that the power fluctuations are not only damaging their electrical and electronic equipment, it is also making life difficult as they are not able to operate fans to beat the rising heat.
“Due to the hot and humid conditions, electrical equipment, life fans and refrigerators are a must. But due to the power fluctuations, these are either getting damaged or not functioning properly,” Phal Desai said.
“This is not a recent development. Locals have been complaining about power fluctuations for the last two years, but still the local Electricity Department hasn’t cared to resolve this issue,” he added.
Sarpanch Bhupedra Desai, said, “Power fluctuation is a major problem in our panchayat area. We demanded the authorities to look into this matter. We also requested for a sub-station in our panchayat area so that minor issues regarding power supply could be sorted, especially during monsoon as power outages are maximum during the rainy season. But nothing has happened till now.”
