Calangute locals threaten protest over power cuts

CALANGUTE: Agitated villagers in Calangute have threatened to launch a mass agitation if the electricity department fails to improve the power supply situation in the North Goa tourism hub.


Organised under the banner of the Calangute Citizens Forum, around two dozen locals held a protest rally at the Calangute electricity department office on Thursday.

Assistant engineer Ramdas Salelkar was not present in his office. President of the forum Premanand Divkar spoke to Salelkar on the phone, who assured to meet them on May 17.

Divkar said they have been raising the issue for the last five years, but no steps have been taken by the authorities to resolve the matter. He said that they have submitted memorandums to the electricity department on a number of occasions and have even met then power minister Pandurang Madkaikar . “There is a gram sabha resolution that no new power connections be given until the situation improves, but still new connections are being given,” he said.

Members of the forum claimed there are frequent power cuts everyday with load shedding happening in different wards one after another.

Referring to the new high-tension cables being laid on one side from Mapusa to the Nagoa sub-station and from Porvorim to the Candolim sub-station, which are meant to augment the power supply in Calangute, Divkar said they are opposed to this.

The president of the forum said that if no steps are taken to improve the situation by the end of this month, they would be compelled to bring thousands of locals on the streets for a mass agitation.

When contacted, Salelkar told TOI that work on one high tension cable from Porvorim to the Candolim sub-station worth Rs 8 crore will be completed this week and should be commissioned by next week. “About 40m is left. Once completed it should provide some temporary relief. The other high cable from Mapusa to the Nagoa sub-station is incomplete for about 1km. The matter is being resolved,” he said.

Salelkar said the power supply will increase 10 times with the commissioning of the new high-tension cables, but it would take around two more years to change all the low-tension cables, which supply power to consumers.

Deputy speaker and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo last week had said that efforts to improve the power situation had been blocked by farmers opposing the installation of electricity poles in agricultural fields in Parra, which would complete the cable link from Mapusa to the Nagoa sub-station.

Stating that the farmers had even approached the court, Lobo said, “But they lost. The court has directed the collector to take an appropriate decision,” he said.