MARGAO
The Carmona village panchayat has threatened to temporarily stop issuing any construction licenses to multi-dwelling units in the village or issue them electrical NOC solely due to the precarious state of affairs of the power supply to the village.
Sarpanch Allwyn Jorge has issued the threat in a memorandum submitted to the power officials as part of an ongoing Public Grievances Fortnight initiated by the Carmona Panchayat.
With only two active linesmen for the entire village, the Sarpanch has demanded that an additional linesman be deputed in the village as replacement for one of the linesmen who is incapacitated for years and cannot do any line duty.
The Sarpanch maintained that the manpower shortage has caused the village to suffer badly leading to no maintenance of LED streetlights.
In the memorandum, the Sarpanch further referred to his earlier correspondence, demanding immediate renovation of the entire 220 volts distribution system in the village. “I have called for the replacement of the dilapidated electric poles and conductors, besides the rusted fittings which were fitted half a century back,” he added.
The Sarpanch was informed that the Electricity Department has already prepared estimates for renovation for Carmona and neighbouring villages at an estimated cost of Rs 5.69 crore on the directions of the Power Minister and the Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao. The work, however, is pending awaiting administrative sanction.
The memorandum also highlighted the need to lift away all the broken poles lying on the roadside in public safety and also to undertake pruning/cutting of tree branches in coordination with the panchayat to provide uninterrupted power supply to the villagers.
The Sarpanch informed that 90 per cent of the public grievances the Panchayat has received during the dedicated fortnight is about power failures, non-functional LED lights, water supply issues etc.
He said the officials have promised to hold a site inspection of the village with the AE and JE next week to have a first-hand experience of the situation and also assured to sanction an additional linesman, take up repairs/replace all the LED lights as per the list furnished by the panchayat, replace all damaged poles, cut/prune all branches touching power lines in coordination with the panchayat and also remove all broken down poles on the roadside.
