Two days after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced farmers would be supplied electricity for 12 hours for their agriculture pumps during the daytime, his party made a U-turn.
Two days after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced farmers would be supplied electricity for 12 hours for their agriculture pumps during the daytime, his party made a U-turn. According to the party officials, supplying power during the daytime is difficult, owing to peak hour demand in the morning and technical issues.
At present, the farmers get eight hours’ electricity supply three days a week in the morning and 10 hours’ supply for another three days during the night time. They do not get electricity for agriculture pumps for the remaining one day.
“It is the CM’s wish to supply 12 hours’ power to agriculture pumps. But there are a few difficulties like the peak hour issue and technical issues like network failure and tripping. We are trying our best to supply power for 12 hours, but we might have to divide it during the day and night time,” said BJP spokesperson Vishwas Pathak, who is also an officer on special duty with energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
The additional power supply to the farmers would need 10 per cent more electricity to be generated and would cost around '1,100 crore.
The state will approach the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission for the approval, Mr Pathak said. Electricity will be supplied till November when crops need sufficient water, which can be supplied via agriculture pumps.
Activists had already expressed doubts over the government’s announcement. “It is good if it really supplies electricity for 12 hours during the daytime, but I am doubtful about the implementation. If it supplies electricity in the night, the situation of the farmers will not change. It will just be another hollow announcement by the BJP government,” activist Pratap Hogade said.
Another official from the state energy department also agreed that supplying electricity for 12 hours to agriculture pumps is difficult during the daytime.
“The farmers need about 16,000 mw of power and morning and evening are peak times. It is difficult for the state to supply uninterrupted power for 12 hours. It will be divided during the day,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.
