MARGAO
Around 60 years after the Goa’s first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar laid the power infrastructure in the state in the year 1962, the state can now look forward for massive investment to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore to tone up power infrastructure to cater to the growing requirements.
Power Minister Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar with officials in tow hopped from Salcete to Mormugao to lay the foundation stone for infrastructure in the two talukas to beef up the power infrastructure.
At the BPS Club, Margao, the Power Minister laid the foundation Stone for the work of Supply, Erection, Testing and Commissioning of Double Circuit underground cable of 33 KV, 3CX400 Sq. mm XLPE emanating from 220/33 KV Cuncolim Sub Station to 33/11 KV Fatorda Sub-Station and 33/11 KV Raia Sub Station and interlink Cable from Fatorda Sub Station to Raia Sub Station at an estimated cost of Rs 40.5 Crore.
The Power Minister will return back to Salcete on Sunday morning, laying foundation stone for the infrastructure projects in Velim and Margao constituencies.
Dhavalikar said two state-of-the-art power transformers, one in Bardez and another at Verna costing around Rs 500 crore will soon see the light of the day.
“Our first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar has laid the foundation stone for power infrastructure in the state. Since then, the power infrastructure did not receive the attention it deserves. These ageing conductors were never replaced over the years. Recently, we have taken up the work of replacement of conductors in coastal Benaulim at a cost of Rs 18 crore. Now, the Goa government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will spend a whopping Rs 1,000 crore to tone up the power infrastructure across the state in the coming days," Dhavalikar said.
He said the former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar has been instrumental in getting sanction for thousands of crores of central funds to tone up the road works and bridges from Canacona to Pernem with the support of Union government, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Welcoming the Rs 40.5 crore power project in Fatorda constituency, MLA Vijai Sardesai said the project, once completed, will help improve and supply and dedicated power to Fatorda.
“This has been my demand at every Assembly session. I am happy that the Power Minister has finally heard my plea”, Sardesai said, even he asked the Power Minister to set up a separate Power sub-division for Fatorda for administrative purposes.
Curtorim MLA Alex Reginaldo Lourenco said Curtorim had been lagging behind in respect of underground cabling, even as he urged the Power Minister to take up works in his constituency on priority.
