Colva: Nearly three years after the electricity department launched a Rs 11.4-crore project to modernise the low-tension (LT) overhead power network in the Benaulim constituency, residents say the promise of reliable electricity remains unfulfilled, with frequent power outages continuing to disrupt daily life.The project, inaugurated in Sept 2023, involved replacing ageing electricity poles and laying a new LT overhead transmission network across Cavelossim, Carmona, Orlim, Varca, Benaulim, Colva and Seraulim. At the time, MLA Venzy Viegas had urged residents to bear temporary inconvenience, including scheduled power shutdowns, to facilitate the upgrade.The project was billed as a major initiative to strengthen the electricity distribution network and eliminate recurring outages. Speaking at the inauguration, power minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar said such a comprehensive replacement of overhead transmission lines had not been undertaken since 1963.“Lines were replaced only after they snapped during storms, but a complete overhaul at this scale had never been carried out,” the minister had said.Residents, however, claim little has changed since the project was completed. They allege that power outages continue to occur three to four times a day, often lasting more than three hours.According to residents, even mild showers, light winds or thunderstorms are enough to disrupt electricity supply, with outages becoming more frequent since the onset of the monsoon.Consumers also complain that officials at local substations are often unreachable, with official mobile phones switched off, out of network coverage or constantly engaged during outages.Electricity department engineers and line staff attribute the interruptions to faults at the Velim substation or disruptions in the main power supply from Xeldem.The Carmona substation, which supplies Cavelossim, Carmona, Orlim and parts of Varca, receives power from the Velim substation. As a result, any fault at Velim affects electricity supply to these areas. The remaining parts of Varca, along with Benaulim, Colva and Seraulim, are supplied through the Benaulim substation, which draws power from Margao.
