Porvorim
Housing Minister and Saligao MLA Jayesh Salgaonkar said that the residents of Reis Magos, Pilerne and Nerul are facing power disruptions frequently. To make the situation worse the electricity department has resorted to power shedding these days.
In order to tide over this power supply problem, electricity department has decided to transfer excess power of 72 amps of Porvorim power sub-station to Saligao by laying an underground 33-KV cable and this work will be tendered shortly.
This is a short-term measure. As a long-term measure the electricity department has proposed setting up of 220/33KV sub-station at Saligao and the estimated cost of this project is around Rs 180 crore.
The work of aerial bunch cabling work to reduce the disruption of power supply has begun. The junior engineer of electricity department will be available in the office of Reis Magos panchayat to attend to the grievances of the residents, Salgaonkar said.
He was speaking at a meeting organised to hear the grievance of residents of three villages in regard to water and power supply. The Executive Engineer V M Chavan and Assistant Engineer R S Naik of water supply division of Public Works Department were present at the meet, besides, Assistant Engineer William Barreto and Junior Engineer Sandeep Salgaonkar of the electricity department.
In regard to water supply, Salgaonkar stated that the three villages being located at the tail end do not receive adequate water. The residents of these villages are being supplied water on alternate days. The water supply division of the PWD has decided to set up a water treatment plant of 20 MLD at Guirim.
The project report is ready but the land has not yet been finalised .Once the land is acquired the work will start. The PWD has also suggested that a mini-water treatment plant of 10 MLD at either of the three villages can be set up if 2,500 sq meters of land is made available to them. Till then the water supply department has been advised to look into the possibilities of improvement of wells and bore wells in these villages, Salgaonkar stated.
The meeting witnessed heated arguments between the locals and the officials of electricity and water department. The residents alleged that the engineers of electricity department are demanding bribes to release electricity connection, the linesmen are not available if need arises and material such as electric wires, tube lights etc
are not available in their
store room.
In regard to water supply the residents alleged that water is being sold to private parties by the staff of PWD.
Barreto mentioned that electricity department is facing lot of constraints which he is unable to spell out being a government servant.
However, steps have been initiated to replace the existing old power lines, conductors and transformers to improve the power supply.
Chavan mentioned that the work of 15 MLD treatment plant at Porvorim has begun. Once this project is commissioned then there would be substantial improvement of water supply to these three villages.
