MARGAO
After Friday’s fire incident at Sonsodo, the Electricity Department has decided to act tough on the Margao Municipal Council, threatening to cut off the power supply to the Sonsodo plant if the civic body defaults in implementing a slew of measures at the waste dumping site.
In a letter dashed off to the Margao Municipal Council, Assistant Engineer, Carlos Fernandes had told the civic body to clear the legacy waste below the 33KV line on utmost priority.
The MMC has been also told not to further dump the waste in the nearby area and below the 33KV line. While urging the civic body to barricade the area below the 33KV line, the Assistant Engineer has threatened to cut off the power supply to the Sonsodo plant in the event of the failure to implement the measure.
Other immediate measures mooted by the Electricity Department to the Margao civic body includes putting in place arrangements for fire-fighting equipment, including standby cylinders to put off the fire in times of emergencies.
Given that Margao municipal officials have been demanding shifting of the overhead 33KV high tension line at Sonsodo, the Assistant Engineer has requested the MMC chief officer to give a willingness to pay 15% supervision charges and also carry out the work of laying of 33KV underground cable through a licensed electrical contractor.
The Assistant engineer drew the attention of his letter dated December 10, 2019, addressed to the MMC chief officer with a plea not to dump garbage below and near the 33KV line since the fire at Sonsodo is occurring, now and then and the last occurrence of the major fire was on December 5.
In fact, he pointed out that after the December 5, 2019 fire, the garbage dumped below the 33KV was totally cleared and sufficient ground clearance was maintained, and the areas below the 33KV line was barricaded on the eastern and western site.
“This was done in close coordination with the then Managing Director of Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC), Levinson Martins who is on record and has clearly stated that GWMC had cleared the legacy waste below the 33KV line on all sides after the 2019 incident and had even dug up a trench barricading the HT line with abundant caution and in fact GWMC had cleared all the dumped waste in December 2019 itself”, Carlos stated.
He added; “Despite all the reminders and warnings, it is noted that constant dumping of the waste has now increased to such a level that it is in near contact with the overhead 33KV line and the distance between the line and the dump has minimized considerably.
Sonsodo fire not due to short circuit: Power dept
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
The Electricity Department has once again reiterated that Friday’s Sonsodo fire was not due to any short circuit as claimed by the Margao Municipal Council.
In fact, senior official, Assistant Engineer Carlos Fernandes has categorically stated in his letter to the Margao Municipal Chief Officer that the aluminium conductor melted due to the high heat intensity of the fire and certainly not due to the short circuit as allegedly claimed by the civic body.
“As per the records of Aquem Sub-station, the feeder had tripped at 1 pm on Friday, which also provides additional evidence that the fire is not due to short circuit and the fire had started before, and the heat of the fire resulted in melting and snapping of the conductor and its tripping”, he said.
He added: “On close examination of the snapped conductor after the fire was put off, it was noticed that the snapped aluminium conductor was found melted at both ends of the snapping, some portion of interior steel conductor was intact. There is also sufficient conductor to conductor spacing clearance and no vegetation near the 33kV HT line was observed”.
