Members of Karnataka Prantha Raita Sangha (KPRS) along with farmers from different taluks staged a demonstration in front of the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOM) office of Monday demanding uninterrupted power supply for 12 hours during day time to rural feeders.
The farmers led by KPRS district president Sharnabasappa Mamshetty took out a protest rally from APMC yard in Nehru Gunj to GESCOM office demanding 12 hours uninterrupted power supply to irrigation pump sets to protect the standing crop, which has been affected by rainfall scarcity this year.
Mr. Mamshetty said that the State government’s decision to provide electricity during night will not benefit the farmers, as they work in the field throughout the day and have to stay awake the whole night. The standing crops can be saved only if the government supplies uninterrupted electricity during day time without load shedding, he added.
The agitators also opposed the fixing of meters to pump sets and demanded that the GESCOM should immediately replace the burnt transformers soon after receiving a complaint.
Mr. Mamshetty urged the government to pay compensation of ₹10,000 per acre to the farmers whose crops were damaged due to power cuts to their irrigation pump sets. Around 4.36 farmers in seven districts of Kalyana Karnataka region depends of irrigation pump sets for their standing crops, he added.
