HUNDREDS OF CITIZENS LEFT STRANDED FOR OVER AN HOUR IN CORRIDORS
MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council was on Monday exposed hollow after a power outage brought the administration to a screeching halt, leaving hundreds of citizens stranded for over an hour in the corridors of the municipal building.
That the 'A Class' municipal body, which boasts of having its accounts flush with funds, with the saving accounts playing host to a whopping Rs 35 crore, was exposed after it was realized that the municipal building had no backup generator to ensure the administration and the systems do not come to a halt in times of power outages.
Citizens, who had come for various services, including payment of house tax and trade tax, besides payments for house transfers, were left stranded in the building for no fault of theirs as the systems came to a halt on Monday morning.
A citizen, who had come from Porvorim, had to wait till the restoration of the power supply, to make the payments for the transfer of house. Citizens, who had come to either apply for a birth certificate or collect documents, had to undergo a similar ordeal as the system was down for over an hour.
The situation also left the City Fathers an agitated lot, as they demanded to know why the civic body has to date not opted for the backup generators to meet emergencies. A group of councillors were seen sitting in the building corridor during the power outage. Councillor Mahesh Amonkar said the 'A class' municipality ought to have had a standby generator to meet such a situation. Amonkar informed that he and other councillors have requested Chief Officer Rohit Kadam to go in for a standby generator.
Councillor Sagun Naik echoed similar sentiments when he expressed surprise that the 'A class' municipal body has no backup generator. Councillor Johnny Crasto said a backup generator is a dire need in an 'A class' municipal body when people come from far away places for documents.
Chief Officer Rohit Kadam told the media that the council will take a call on the purchase of a generator to meet emergencies. He, however, said that it may take a month or two before the process of procuring a generator is completed,” he added.
Replacement of lightning arrester triggers power outages in Margao
MARGAO:
Monsoon fury, including lightning and thunder, is yet to see the city to date, but the replacement of a lightning arrester at the Monte Hill sub-station triggered power outages in many parts of the commercial capital on Monday morning.
How the lightning arrester suffered a defect is not yet known, but the time taken to replace the lightning arrester disrupted the power supply in the city, bringing to a halt the hustle and bustle.
A queue of customers was seen outside the flour mill in the new market area in the morning following the outage.
Power officials could not explain how many parts of the city suffered from the power outage when the lightning arrester was being replaced at the Monte Hill sub-station.
