----------------------------------------------------------------------- Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service & circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network (GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Velim sub-station fails to resolve power problems -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For one, Anthony Colaco, a resident of Velim, has stopped making weekly purchases of perishable items. Instead, he prefers to procure his requirements on a day-to-day basis, notwithstanding that he owns a brand new refrigerator.
His friends from neighbouring Betul also grudgingly follow the same pattern. And, the reason is simple: The residents of Velim coming under the newly-commissioned Velim sub-station are not so sure of a continuous and uninterrupted power supply. Adding to their woes which has made their life unbearable in recent times, is that it sometimes take the electricity department nearly 24 hours to restore the supply.
Indeed, when other villages and towns get illuminated as night falls, the same cannot be automatically guaranteed for the 5000-odd power consumers in the villages of Velim and Betul and to some extent Assolna.
Ironically, Velim had got a new sub-station only a year and half ago, which did bring about improvement in the voltage. And, if the version of the electricity department is any indication, the problem lies not with the new sub-station, but with the conductors of the High Tension line, coupled with gross shortage of staff.
Today, a strong wind is enough to snap the weak conductors. At some places, the conductors have literally turned into powder due to oxidation. To make matters worse, there is hardly any staff to attend to the problem promptly.Says a senior electricity department official: "We are helpless.
Like elsewhere along Salcete's coastal belt, the ageing conductors snaps even if a small branch comes down on it. The problem is further compounded as long stretches of the conductors have turned into power". To tide over the situation, the department has proposed to replace the entire 20 km HTL, right from Betul to Assolna. "The department has already prepared estimates for the replacement. The new conductors itself will cost Rs 50 lakhs", an official added.
The proposed changes, however, are not expected to materialise in the immediate future as the proposes to take up the work with funding from the Power Grid Corporation.What has further compounded the problem is the inadequate manpower at the disposal of the Velim sub-station.
Right now, the station is looked after by just two operators and a lone driver, when the requirements are four operators and an equal number of drivers. To make up for the shortfall, electricity staff from neighbouring Cuncolim and Assolna are normally requisitioned for duties at Velim.
"This have a telling effect on the functioning of the sub station. Delays in rectifying the snags is a direct result of manpower shortage", an official admitted.
A fortnight ago, residents of Velim and Betul had represented to the local MLA and Minister for Water Resources, Filipe Neri Rodrigues on the power woes, but to no avail. Says the Minister: "The problem is so grave that the entire line needs to be replaced. This will take time".
Last week, the issue figured prominently at the meeting of the Velim Civic and Consumer Forum, which later decided to make representations to the concerned authority. -------------------------------------- HERALD 23/7/03 page 3 -------------------------------------
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