PANAJI
The Electricity Department left power consumers in Salcete without electricity after failing to restore power by 5 pm on Sunday, as promised.
The department had scheduled a power shutdown across most of South Goa, including the talukas of Quepem, Sanguem, Canacona, and parts of Salcete, for maintenance.
A notice issued by Superintending Engineer Rajiv Samant had stated that power would be restored by 5 pm.
However, many villages in Salcete, including Assolna, had to wait until late evening for the power supply to be restored.
When contacted, Samant explained that the delay was due to maintenance work at the Ponda substation.
He added that he had been at the Xeldem power station throughout Sunday and that efforts were being made to restore power in the affected villages as a priority.
Senior power officials in charge of Salcete and Canacona told The Goan that the Ponda division had carried out a major power shutdown on Sunday.
“Since the Ponda shutdown affected other parts of the district, we also had to take a shutdown in Salcete and Canacona for maintenance. Although we finished our maintenance work by noon, we had to wait for the Ponda division to complete theirs before restoring power,” a senior official explained.
