THE GOAN NETWORK
CANACONA
Outraged over frequent power outages in Canacona, leaders and people from all walks of people confronted power officials at the Canacona electricity office on Monday.
For almost a week, the entire Canacona taluka has been suffering from frequent power outages, sometimes lasting for as long as 14-16 hours, and also after every 5 minutes, with the department resorting to power shedding after interval of every one-two hours.
People have been complaining of damage to their equipments and gadgets, while others claiming business losses on a daily basis.
When agitators sought an explanation for the power failures, especially after the electricity department had a shutdown for pre-monsoon maintenance works, Canacona Assistant Engineer Govind Bhat accepted a major equipment breakdown at Cuncolim, which caused severe power disruptions in Canacona.
The AE informed that a battery got burnt at the Cuncolim Sub-Station, from where Canacona, Velim and a few more power stations draw power.
“We at Canacona are totally dependent on the Cuncolim Sub-Station and we don’t have a second source of power at-all. When there was short supply, we tried to carry out power shedding depending on the areas and provided power supply to Palolem, Chaudi, Loliem, Agonda, etc.,” said Bhat.
“Now, this problem has been rectified and tenders are being finalised on June 21. The underground cabling will be completed in Canacona by June 21, 2024.”
Agitators also complained that despite being among the highest tax payers, they have been among the worst affected as far as power supply is concerned.
Leaders accompanying the agitators, including Janardhan Bhandari, Vikas Bhagat, Jack Fernandes, Gaspar Coutinho and others, warned that if the electricity supply is not improved in the next five days, they would launch a protest.
Vaishnav Pednekar, Gaspar Coutinho, Clayston Viegas, Vaishal Pagi, Siddharth Gayak, Succour da Silva and other activists were also present.
