Bathinda villages get only 6-hr power supply, sowing affected

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 21

Poor electricity supply has affected paddy sowing in a number of villages in Bathinda district. Farmers said against the promised eight-hour uninterrupted supply to the agriculture sector by the state government, they had been getting power supply for six to seven hours, thereby resulting in shortage of water required for paddy sowing.

Using generators

We are left with no alternative, but to use generators to draw water from tubewells. But, this requires large quantities of diesel, thereby adding to the input cost. Jagshir Singh Jhumba, leader of bku (ugrahan)

Farmers rued that daily one-two hour cut in electricity could delay paddy sowing. Harpreet Singh and Ramesh Kumar, both farmers from Mehma Sarkari village, said, “The substation started power supply at 6 am, but it was switched off around 1 pm. We are yet to water a large chunk of our fields.”

Jagshir Singh Jhumba, a leader of BKU (Ugrahan), said, “The supply from almost every power grid is affected in the district. PSPCL officials do not even attend our phone calls and complaints. If the department does not restore uninterrupted electricity supply, farm unions will start gherao at different power stations in the district soon.”

Baljit Singh, Superintending Engineer, PSPCL, said, “If supply is reduced for some duration then it is compensated by providing extra power within 24 hours. We ensure that farmers get uninterrupted supply during the paddy season.”