SANGEUM: Frustrated by continuous power outages for the past three months, approximately 200 residents of the Rivona and Caurem-Pirla panchayat areas staged a protest at the Kevona power substation on Thursday night.
The protest demonstration lasted over two-and-a-half hours, keeping authorities on edge as tensions escalated. Residents demanded an immediate resolution to the power cuts, warning officials to restore electricity or face severe consequences.
The protest was triggered by recurring power failures in Sanguem taluka, which has plagued the area in recent weeks. Women from the community voiced their dissatisfaction, criticising the government for neglecting basic needs such as electricity and water despite announcing projects worth crores of rupees.
Residents from Rivona, Caurem-Pirla, Carla, and Kajur areas have endured frequent power cuts and low voltage, making it difficult to perform daily tasks even when electricity is available. Despite multiple complaints to the authorities, the situation remained unresolved.
On Thursday at 7pm, around 200 citizens entered the Kevona power substation, only to find no officials from the Electricity department present. The Quepem police arrived shortly after the residents assembled.
The situation remained tense until a junior engineer from the electricity department arrived and faced the irate crowd, who demanded immediate restoration of power. After-two-and-a-half hours, the power supply was finally restored.
However, the protestors refused to disperse, insisting that the local MLA address the issue in person. The MLA, responding to the growing unrest, arrived at the scene, admonishing the electricity department officials and promising to hold a meeting with both panchayats on Saturday to find a solution. Only then did the residents agree to suspend their protest.
Residents have suffered from erratic electricity supply for the past three months, with power available for just half an hour each day. Authorities frequently cite fallen trees or broken poles as reasons for the outages, but residents' long-standing demands for high-pressure transformers remain unmet. The outages have severely disrupted daily life and caused significant educational setbacks for students.
The residents have issued a stern warning: if the electricity department fails to resolve the issue within three days, they will intensify their protest.