Create SoPs to avoid power cuts in Goa: Parrikar to power dept

With the Goa government drawing flak over frequent power cuts in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today asked the state electricity department to come up with standard operating procedures (SOP) to prevent power outages, especially during the monsoon.

Parrikar is currently helming the state Electricity department as Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar has been hospitalised in Mumbai.

The chief minister chaired the high level meeting of department officials along with the district administration.

"The chief minister held the meeting with the officials of the electricity department. He asked the officials to create SOPs for annual maintenance and trimming of trees so that untoward power outages are prevented during monsoons," the CMO said in a statement released after the meeting.

"During the meeting, it was decided that division-wise meetings will be held from July, along with the MLAs concerned to understand and resolve local power supply issues. Other issues and bottlenecks for upgradation of power infrastructure in the state were also discussed," the CMO said.

The chief minister took stock of the situation on the power front and issued several instructions, state Chief Electrical Engineer Neelkanth Reddy said after the meeting.

Rampant road digging work due to ongoing infrastructure projects, like expansion of national highways, is leading to snapping of power cables and outages, he said.

"The chief minister has ordered formation of a committee, to be headed by district collector, which will give permission for the road digging work for any kind of projects," Reddy added.

According to him, there has been a ban on road digging work for three months from May 15.

"This committee will be functional all the year around, including the current ban period. All the projects will have to take permission of this committee before road digging," he said.

The committee will consist of representatives of all the departments, he added.