in order to protest against the constant power cuts taking place in Vasco and other neighbouring constituency in Mormugao taluka and even in other parts of the State since the last couple of days, leaving people to face hardships.
Speaking to Herald, D’Souza held Power Minister Milind Naik responsible for the power cuts and for the failure of the electricity department to complete pre-monsoon works taken up by department due to which power cuts has become a routine scenario in many parts of the State.
“I am surprised that the concerned Minister is not taking up the issue of power cuts seriously which makes me feel that the minister is not serious enough in handling the department, due to which many areas remained in total darkness,” D’Souza charged.
He further added that when Milind Naik was opposition MLA he had confronted the Electricity department officials in Vasco with similar grievance of constant power cuts, however, now that he is handling the same department the scenario is worse in his tenure, which proves that the electricity department under Naik regime has either become defunct or is not serious to understand the importance of providing disruption-free supply of power. Another factor which proves lethargy of the minister and his department is the way the underground cabling work is going on at snail pace. Thus, taking all this into account and knowing that people are scared to speak against the BJP government, we have decided to stage a rasta roko only to show that people are upset with the current crises and would now retaliate” he said.
D’Souza also said, “Today people from all over the State and especially from Vasco and Mormugao are criticizing the power minister as he being the guardian minister of Mormugao taluka, is unable to handle power crises in his own backyard and so what would be the fate of he people from other parts of State and especially in remote villages as the people living or doing business in cities itself are suffering?” he questioned.
Meanwhile when Power Minister Milind Naik clarified that this monsoon there were over 120 cases of uprooting of trees so far and majority of these cases were tree falling on electricity wires or poles and I cannot control cyclone which led to uprooting of trees. Also my department is not a small one.”
