Goodbye to free power with installation of meters: APCC

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) sees a conspiracy behind the announcement of the installation of meters to the agriculture pumpsets which would certainly bid adieu to the free power to the farm sector.

PCC president Dr Sake Sailajanath said in a statement here on Sunday that the announcements to fix meters to the farm pumpsets and that the money would be deposited in the farmers' accounts and the farmers would pay the power bills to the Discoms appear to be a plan to do away with the free power to farmers.

Stating that AP was the first State which announced that it would implement the electricity reforms as suggested by the Centre, the PCC chief said that the State government was harming the interest of the farmers in an attempt to secure more loans. "The farmers have been happy for the last 16 years with the Congress-introduced free power and in spite of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic they continued to provide food to the nation."

He deplored that the State government minimised allocations to the agriculture sector and irrigation for the last two years and even the allocated funds were not spent for the same. There are no new irrigation projects and on the other hand the subsidies were reduced to the farmers.

For the meter installation, Srikakulam district was selected under the pilot project which would be followed in all the districts subsequently. The farmers, who are already suffering due to the poor remunerative price for their produce, are committing suicides. The State is in the third place in the country in the suicides of farmers and once the free power is removed, it would not be a surprise if the State reached the first place.

The PCC chief wondered as to what would be beneficial to the farmers if the State, which is already in deep debts, spends Rs 2,000 crore for fixing meters.

He exhorted the farmers throughout the State to fight against the injustice contemplated by the State government. The APCC members would submit representations to the revenue officials on Monday highlighting the problems of the farmers.