Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (HB/SP)
Udupi, Oct 20: Udupi Zilla Krishik Sangha (Udupi District Farmers Association), symbolically staged a protest demonstration on Saturday 18 in front of the office of Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) here, demanding immediate withdrawal of additional levy of Rs 10,000 on new agricultural pump set connections.
Ramakrishna Sharma, president of the association, in his address, pointed out that in the previous year, the above charge stood at Rs2,500. He said that the fourfold increase in the charges for new pump set connections was not acceptable as it is exorbitant and beyond the reach of poor farmers.
He added that such hikes would harm interests of the farmers. He expressed the opinion that this measure has been introduced as a kind of harassment, which aims at victimizing the farmers as it interferes with his daily needs. He reminded the government that most of the farmers are small or
marginal farmers with small land holdings.
He also made a strong bid for maintaining uninterrupted power supply in rural areas without any cuts. He claimed that the government has not been making efficient use of the power resources at its disposal. He urged the state government to take prudent measures to plug leakage of electricity and to prevent unscheduled load shedding.
Sharma gave a call for taking steps to recruit linemen immediately to fill vacant posts that have remained unfilled since long. He reasoned that without proper staff strength, the department has been finding it tough to efficiently manage power distribution and plug wastages and mismanagement.
He expressed the opinion that there are loopholes in Raitha Surya Project announced by the government, in which the process of allotment is done online. He pressed the government to undertake detailed investigation to find out malpractices if any in the execution of this project. He
warned of launching a massive protest if the government owns inertia on the issue and shows disinclination to probe the matter.
'Nearly 200 crore rupees has been deposited by the farmers in connection with this scheme, but work has not yet been taken up. There is no illegal pump set connection in this district, 80% pump connections have been legally applied for and regularized,' said deputy secretary, Shrinivas Bhat.
M Bhaskar Shetty, vice president, Ravindra Poojary Gujarabettu, Panduranga Nayak and others were present.