Power outages continue across several coastal villages in Goa’s Benaulim constituency despite a Rs 44.2 crore electricity network overhaul and the commissioning of a direct underground supply from Xeldem, leaving households, businesses and other consumers facing repeated and prolonged interruptions.
Residents in parts of Salcete have reported unscheduled power cuts for the past month and a half, according to a report by Times of India – Goa. The disruptions have continued during the post-monsoon period, when hot and humid conditions have increased the daily dependence of households and commercial establishments on electricity.
The electricity department invested Rs 44.2 crore in 2024 to strengthen the power infrastructure in the Benaulim region. A central component of the work was a proposed 58-km underground cabling network linking the Benaulim substation directly to Xeldem. The arrangement was intended to improve the efficiency and reliability of power distribution in the constituency.
The earlier network had several operational difficulties. Former assistant engineer Nicholau Moraes said overhead lines between the Xeldem and Cuncolim substations passed through fields, forests and waterlogged areas. These conditions made it difficult to identify faults and complicated maintenance and restoration work when failures occurred.
The department also replaced transformers, electrical poles and transmission lines across the constituency. Power minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar said the transmission lines had originally been installed in 1965 and were subsequently repaired on a piecemeal basis. A complete network revamp was undertaken in 2024 at a cost of Rs 11 crore.
Moraes said the electricity situation had improved fourfold after the comprehensive infrastructure overhaul. The direct underground supply from Xeldem was expected to further strengthen the system by reducing the vulnerability of key transmission links to difficult terrain and access conditions.
However, the improvements have not been felt uniformly across Benaulim. Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas acknowledged that additional work was required to provide uninterrupted, round-the-clock electricity to the constituency. He said the infrastructure completed so far was only the first phase of a broader improvement programme.
A new substation is planned under the second phase, according to Viegas. The project is expected to add capacity and strengthen the distribution network, although the report did not specify its location, cost or commissioning timeline. For consumers currently facing outages, the immediate issue remains the gap between the completed network works and dependable electricity service.
The next phase of the improvement programme, including the planned substation, is therefore expected to determine whether the investment can deliver consistent power supply across all coastal villages in the Benaulim constituency.
