Land in Punjab, Una farmers face power connection woes

Rajesh Sharma

UNA, FEBRUARY 6

More than 100 families from Una district, living in villages near the Punjab border, are unable to get electricity connections to run motors for irrigating their agricultural land that lies on the other side of the border in Punjab.

Talks after Punjab poll

The issue will be taken up with the new government in Punjab. The Chief Minister has assured them that the issue would be resolved after the Punjab elections. Satpal Singh Satti, Chairman, State Finance Commission

This is because their address proofs, which show them as residents of Himachal Pradesh, are not admissible in Punjab for securing electricity connections for their tube wells. Only bona fide residents of Punjab can apply for power connections.

Jaswinder Singh from Binewal village of Una district, who owns 24 kanals of land in the adjoining Punjab village, said he could not get a power connection for his tube well. Consequently, he was compelled to use a diesel motor, which is expensive to run.

Similar is the story of several residents of Malukpur village, including Balwinder Singh who cultivates 20 kanals, Gurcharan Singh and Ranbir Singh, both have inherited 16 kanals of agriculture land each from their father Chajju Ram. They rued that power for tube wells was free in Punjab.

Sanoli residents Bakshish Singh, Surinder Singh and Jagtar Singh, who own 48 kanals each in Punjab, said they had been approaching political leaders of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab for a long time, but there had been no solution to their problem. They said the cost of diesel was soaring and irrigation with the help of diesel pump sets was not feasible these days.

Deputy Commissioner Raghav Sharma said the problem had been brought to the notice of the district administration. Some farmers had also met Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary during his previous visit to Una. He said the minister had directed the administration to prepare a list of such farmers.

The DC said 122 farmers living in four villages of Una district, Binewal, Malukpur, Sanoli and Majra, having their agriculture land in Punjab had been identified, adding that these farmers cultivate 1,190 kanals of land, for which they need irrigation power connections. The list had been forwarded to the Power Department.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the State Finance Commission Satpal Singh Satti said the issue would be taken up with the new government in Punjab. He said the Chief Minister had assured them that the issue would be resolved after the elections.

About the issue

About 100 Una farmers have farmland that falls in bordering Punjab. But they cannot get power connections for their tube wells from the neighbouring state because they are not Punjab residents.

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