Farmers protest laying of power cables in fields

Bhadson, March 26

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Farmers of Lote village near Bhadson are up in arms against Powercom officials for laying power cables from solar plant to the Alowal powergrid by a private company.

The affected farmers, Hardial Singh, Teja Singh and Raghvir Singh, said Powercom had given the contract to the private company for setting up the solar system in the Lote village and had failed to inform them about the compensation for installing the towers in their fields.

They said earlier the cable was to be laid on a distance of about 1,000 m which was now being diverted and was cable was being laid allegedly on the directions of a local Congress leader which had increased the distance from one km to 1,600 m, causing loss to the farmers. They said the private company would generate electricity through the solar plant and would further sell the same to Powercom.

They said on the one hand, the government was talking of loan waivers and welfare schemes for the farmers while on the other, private companies were forcibly installing towers and laying cables in their fields, causing huge losses to the poor farmers who were already facing financial crisis.

Baljit Singh, a physically challenged farmer, who is owning around one acre said officials of the private company had destroyed the standing wheat crop in his fields by installing the towers and laying the cables. — TNS