PANAJI
With the domestic and industrial sectors likely to experience occasional power outages during the monsoon, pre-monsoon rains have already begun playing truant in the interior talukas.
Barely a week ago, Honda and Pissurlem industrial estates were left without electricity for three days due to a fault in the overhead power line stretching from Amona-Honda-Valpoi station.
The outage was attributed to lightning and heavy rains, which caused trees to fall onto parts of the line that pass through the forests. A senior official in the Electricity Department stated that only consumers receiving 33KV were affected by the disruption.
“It was due to lightning and thunder. A part of the overhead line passes through the forest, which affected the power supply but it was soon restored,” he said.
Instances of power cuts have become common in interiors such as Quepem, Sanguem, Valpoi, and Sanquelim, particularly during adverse weather conditions. However, the official stated that they have implemented measures to tackle these issues, including the pruning of branches and removal of dangerous trees.
“Damage to utility poles during the rainy season has also contributed to an erratic power supply...Nevertheless, we have dedicated teams deployed to ensure that necessary repair and maintenance work is carried out,” the official added.
With no power supply, some of the around 100 factories in Honda and Pissurlem were forced to shut down operations as these did not have their own generators as a backup plan.
The companies allegedly suffered losses worth crores of rupees while many workers on a daily basis also lost their pay.
