Mumbai: Arrears of power bills towards agricultural pumps soared to Rs 32,000 crore, creating a financial crunch for Mahavitaran. In light of this, energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule appealed to the farmers to pay the power bills if they have the capacity.

More than 42 lakh agricultural pumps are functional in the state and more than 2.28 lakh farmers are waiting for the new connections.