KOCHI: As the clock strikes seven in the evening, the bulbs in Cheranalloor panchayat houses start flickering, fans rotate slowly, and it becomes difficult to operate electrical appliances. The reason? Low voltage! For a panchayat in close proximity to Kochi corporation, voltage becoming a big issue is not a great advertisement for Kochi as an aspiring, expanding city.
The situation has led residents to launch a signature campaign demanding a KSEB substation to solve the issue. Benny Francis, a panchayat member, told TNIE that the situation has worsened in the past year.
“The panchayat has grown over the years. In the past, the number of residents might have been in the thousands; today it is in the ten thousands. Also, the number of wards in the panchayat has gone up from 17 to 20,” Benny said, adding that power consumption too has gone up exponentially.
Shaji V A, a resident of Cheranalloor, said the panchayat receives power from three feeders — Edappally, Periyar and Pachalam. “However, with the increase in the number of houses and other establishments like flats, hospitals and small-scale industries, the electricity demand has gone up considerably.
There are more than 20 big flat complexes in Cheranalloor. The panchayat also has two big hospitals. So, a substation has become necessary to cater to the power demands of the panchayat,” he pointed out.
According to Benny, KSEB has shown interest in setting up a substation. “In the coming years, the panchayat will see more development, especially in the real estate sector. Taking into consideration the need for a substation, we have launched a signature campaign. This will be submitted to the officials concerned,” he said.
The panchayat vice-president, Shimmy Francis, said the local body has been striving to identify land for the substation. “KSEB has told us it would need an acre of land for the substation and the corresponding office. We are ready to provide the land. We had suggested some sites to the KSEB. However, the high land price turned them away. We are now searching for cheaper land,” he said.
According to him, the substation has to be near the high-voltage transmission lines. “So, the appropriate sites would be the ones near the Chittoor-Vaduthala Road or Kothad,” Shimmy said.
