Sanguem: Consequent to the agitation led by the villagers from Rivona on last Thursday at the Kuinamoll Power Station following frequent power outages in the village, a meeting was convened in the village on Saturday to work out solutions on the issue. The meeting was chaired by Minister for Social Welfare and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai and attended by the Chief Engineer Electricity Department alongwith other staff and ZP member Rivona Suresh Kepekar and others.
Problems Brought To Light
The villagers brought to the fore of the problems envisaged by them in the daily life and the never ending problems faced by the students community due to irregular power supply in the village.
The villagers informed the department officials that living in the village and conducting daily chores has become a nightmare on account of erratic power supply.
While the students community are the worst sufferers being unable to do their daily lessons, assignments and home work on regular basis, the housewives and elderly people in the village complained of damages caused to electrical gadgets and appliances on account of power fluctuations. A villager Bosco pointed out that he had to change two television sets in the last two months and over six ceiling fans.
Villagers Share Their Experiences
The villagers attributed the power fluctuations in the village since the time the power supply to Rivona village was changed from Xeldem Feeder to Kevona and demanded immediate shifting of power supply back to Xeldem Feeder.
Villagers also pointed out that the power woes have multiplied since the time the department opted for bundled cables to supply power in remote villages as against the normal electicity cables. Villagers informed that whenever there is tree fall incident in the village some three to four poles stands damaged on account of the bundled cabbling work which incidentally was not the case when the power was supplied using normal electricity cables.
The homemakers complain of non-functional refrigerators and mixers making them face difficult times and regular spoilage of food and meat items kept in the refrigerators.
Appeal Made By Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai
Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai urged the department to increase the manpower in the village on immediate basis while simultaneously asking for allocation of a permanent vehicle at the disposal of the linesman working at the Kuinamoll Sub Station.
He also stressed on the need for underground cabling in Rivona village which he said will solve majority of the power woes faced by the villagers.
Phaldessai also expressed need for additional manpower at Kuinamoll sub station and the number of linesmen presently deployed are not sufficient to look after the 89 transformers at one go.
The Kuinamoll sub station has a workforce of around 17 linesman who work in four shifts and at any given time there are only four linesman working at the sub station to look after the wide area covered by 89 transformers which is not sufficient, Phaldessai claimed.
In the last few days, the agriculturists and particularly local dairy suffered extreme losses due to frequent power outages.
The villagers during the meeting also complained of the department officials not attending to their calls.
The department officials assured to look into the grievances addressed by the villagers and resolve the power woes at the earliest.
