# Power outages persist in Benaulim despite Rs 44.2-crore upgrade 2026-10-22T02:07:21+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Seven coastal villages in Salcete are facing prolonged power cuts even after the electricity department spent Rs 44.2 crore in 2024 on infrastructure upgrades. The overhaul included a 58-km underground cable from Xeldem and a separate Rs 11-crore replacement of poles, transformers and transmission lines originally laid in 1965. Former assistant engineer Nicholau Moraes said the works have improved the situation fourfold, but benefits are not yet uniform. Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas acknowledged the current work is only phase one of a larger programme, a new substation planned under phase two is meant to strengthen supply further. Residents say frequent interruptions remain the immediate problem. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Residents of Benaulim's coastal villages are paying the price of an incomplete upgrade: Rs 44.2 crore and an 11-crore network revamp bought a fourfold improvement in power, but not reliability. The distinction between phase one and phase two matters: households are waiting for a new substation that MLA Viegas says is planned but not built. Until that second phase is commissioned, every hot afternoon an outage hits reminds them the spending has not caught up with demand. The electricity department's next deliverable is that substation, which will determine whether the promise of round-the-clock supply becomes fact. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com led with consumer frustration despite naming investment sums This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Benaulim, Venzy Viegas Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/power-outages-persist-in-benaulim-despite-rs-44-2-crore-upgrade/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/power-outages-persist-in-benaulim-despite-rs-44-2-crore-upgrade/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/