Margao: Goa Chief Electrical Engineer (CEE) Stephen Fernandes took the platform of the hearing on power tariff to publicly bat for the Tamnar power transmission line, asserting the line is the need of the hour to improve the power supply, particularly for South Goa district.
He said the Tamnar line from Karnataka may not come in the immediate future, but Goa will have to complete the ring from Colvale to Dharbandora and Xeldem, which would ensure best power supply for the entire South Goa district.
The current power transmission line
Saying the existing power transmission line is only around 700 Mega Watt capacity, Stephen said it is practically difficult to maintain the line during any failure. “Even the Chief Minister of Goa cannot do anything in times of breakdown of the existing transmission line because of the technical parameters. Goa Tamnar line is required because when one line trips, we are asked to reduce 380 megawatt supply. What we do presently is put off the supply for the industries. This is the way we survive. Nobody knows this. Everybody needs to exist, including industries and hotels because they are putting money and the technology in a venture,” he said.
Saying he feels sorry for South Goa consumers, the CEE said, “Unlike North Goa, which has four circuits, we have only circuits on a single pole. South Goa is a problem. That’s why Tamnar line is important.”
Replying a host of queries raised by the power consumers, the CEE said the cable fault finding machine will be made available to the department in the next two months.
Arrears have no link to proposed hike: Defaulters
Chief Electrical Engineer Stephen Fernandes has conceded on the need to bring down to zero the power defaulters, but hastened to add that the defaulters and outstanding arrears have no link with the power tariff proposed by the department.
“No doubt, there are a number of power defaulters and outstanding arrears. We have to work on the recovery of the arrears, but the arrears are not a cause for the tariff hike. Though we have to bring the arrears to zero, the issue has no link with the power tariff hike”, he said, at the hearing of the Power tariff hike at the district Collectorate.
OTS scheme issue
The CEE further sought to clarify that many defaults avail the One Time Settlement (OTS) offer, the principal loan is never waived off, adding that the applicant is only given the relief on the interest component.
He further pointed out that the OTS scheme was offered by the Goa Power department only twice in the last 10 years.
