Power scenario as bad as it was 30 years ago!

Herald
FREDDY REBELLO
POINGUINIM, OCT 19
Goa State has witnessed many changes in governance in the last 30 years and powers that be, but the electricity power scenario in the State is in a bad condition.
In Goa, there are over 2,900 kms of low tension electricity lines that are over 30 years old and the replacement for these conductors is going on at a snail’s pace and power consumers complaining of frequent power failures.
In Poinguinim constituency, there are 67 distribution transformers installed at various places in the capacity ranging from 63 to 100 KVA and from that there are 29 transformers which are over 30 years old and need replacement, as it cannot meet the ever-growing needs of the consumers.
It may be recalled that in the recent Assembly session, Power Minister Alexio Sequeira had stated that the department had already started various preventive measures through Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme and Renovation and Improvement Scheme to minimize the snapping of conductor by replacing corroded/deteriorated High Tension and Low Tension line, conductors, poles and line materials.
Since the last five years, 17 persons met with fatal injuries due to electrocution in the State and the list includes seven persons from the electricity department and rest are civilians, who came into contact with the dangling live wires.
Besides, 107 cattle were reported to have succumbed during the last five years due to electrocution.
It is observed that the ageing trees alongside the electricity cable fall on them and disrupt power supply. Further, pruning of tree branches over and under the electricity cables is undertaken by the electricity department personnel at a slow pace and more so after the advent of monsoon.
It is learnt that there are many RCC pole manufacturers in the State from whom the electricity department procures same through tenders and the poles have to be directly delivered by the manufacture to the division office at Panjim, Margao, Vasco, Verna, Bicholim, Ponda, Mapusa and Curchorem and not to the sub division offices and sub divisions.
This exercise results in a lot of waste of public money. To cite an example, there is one unit located at Polem that manufactures RCC poles and the same are sent directly to the division office.
Whenever there is need for poles, the same has to be transported from Margao division office to Canacona. At Polem in Loliem, it is observed that about 20 poles are corroded and are on the verge of meeting the dust with the cables.