Farmers stage demonstrations against proposed Electricity Act amendments

Farmers associated with the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Monday staged protests at around 10 locations across the district, opposing the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act. Demonstrators gathered outside several power corporation offices, where they burned copies of the draft Bill to express their anger and disagreement with the government’s plans.

At the protest site outside the power corporation office in Chogawan, farmers raised slogans and demanded that the Centre withdraw the proposed changes. They said the amendments would increase the burden on ordinary people, especially farmers, by permitting higher power charges and weakening existing protections.

Addressing protesters at Khasa and Attari, SKM leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said the Bill, if enacted, would pave the way for privatisation and make electricity unaffordable for small farmers. He argued that the proposed changes would erode the current system of subsidies and make farming more difficult at a time when input costs are already high.

Farmer leader Nirmal Singh Dhanoa said the Bill had been drafted without consulting farmer organisations. “We will not allow any law that harms the farming community. Burning copies of the Bill is our way of warning the government. If necessary, we will intensify our agitation,” he said.

Protesters at other locations also submitted memorandums to officials, urging them to convey their concerns to the government. The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha has announced that it will continue statewide protests until the government rolls back the proposed amendments. They also appealed to the public to support the movement, saying the issue affects every household.