In a bid to justify the need for the Mollem power projectamid the growing electricity consumption, Power Minister Nilesh Cabral hasreleased a white paper on Goa's projected needs. The minister points to aquantum jump in power usage between 2010 and 2020 and states there is a four tofive per cent increase in consumption every year. The argument revolves aroundthe proposed 400 kV power transmission project at Sangod and how it will meetthe growing requirements of the State.
Cabral belts out numbers and gives a host of assuranceswhile appealing to the people to believe in the government. The power ministerhas been at the receiving end of people because there is a lack of transparencyand non-involvement of people. Earlier promises have not been kept. Lest weforget, it was Cabral who promised Goans at least 23 hours a day uninterruptedpower supply on an immediate basis soon after assuming charge as power ministerin September 2018. He promised underground cabling to stop power theft. Therewas a centralized monitoring mechanism announced which will generate automaticmessages on the failures and the restoration, and there was even a WhatsAppcomplaint protocol so that he could personally and immediately address queriesrelated to breakdowns. Plans and systems were ambitious, but where have allthose promises gone? For the record, there was no word of a power sub-stationcutting through forested areas then.
If a case is being made out for the power sub-stationthrough the white paper, the document must also spell out details on the statusof recoveries, industrial power thefts and leakages, etc. It must givedetailing on the existing infrastructure and a roadmap to the future. Theelectricity department is a crucial segment because the lives of people aredependent on it. Statements asking people to stop using electricity if they areopposed to the power project reflects irresponsibility, and are in bad taste.
The common man is religiously paying hefty electricitybills, even during these tough Covid times. People are being charged undervarious heads, including fees towards infrastructure. What kind of powerinfrastructure is provided to Goans all these years, and where is the promiseof uninterrupted power? Last year, the Union government was to consider afinancial package of Rs 2,000 crore to Goa to strengthen the powerinfrastructure in the State. Where has the proposal gone?
A statement by the power minister that double-tracking isnot for coal transportation smacks of deceit, and this is how the trust islost. The need is to be upright and honest. Don't take people for a ride withconcocted scripts on double-tracking. People are not against development butare rising against development which comes at the cost of the environment.That's the crux of all protests that have erupted lately. Instead of discardingthese agitations as the handiwork of NGOs and anti-development activists, it'stime elected representatives feel the pulse, be truthful and work with thepeople.
