Malwa farmers block roads over erratic power supply

SAD to protest at PSPCL offices today

The SAD will hold protests outside PSPCL offices on Friday to demand restoration of power supply for both the agricultural and domestic sector. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said CM Capt Amarinder Singh had reneged on the free power facility extended to farmers by not providing eight-hour uninterrupted supply to them during the peak of the paddy season. “We demand the government pay a bonus of Rs 50 per quintal to farmers for the extra cost incurred by them in rearing their paddy crop,” he said.

Tribune News Service

Moga, July 1

Up in arms against the erratic power supply, the farmers today held protests and blocked roads at various places in the Malwa belt, while the Opposition slammed the Congress government for not being able to meet the demand.

At Moga, BKU activists protested outside the power house and blocked the Moga-Ludhiana National Highway for several hours. They slammed the state government for not providing the promised eight-hour power supply for paddy transplantation. BKU activists also staged a protest at Dagru village.

“We are getting just four to five hours of power supply against the promised eight hours,” alleged Sukhjinder Singh Khosa a BKU activist.

BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said farmers were being forced to use generators to pump out underground water, increasing the input costs.

He said the Congress government has failed to ensure adequate power supply to farmers and domestic consumers amid a prolonged dry weather spell, making their lives miserable.

The BKU (Dhakaunda) staged a protest and blocked the Kotkapura-Bathinda road at Jaito on Thursday and raised slogans against PSPCL. In Barnala, at Cheema village, farmers damaged the infrastructure of a local power house, while the protests were reported from Binewal and Tapa Mandi areas. The national highway was also blocked at Tapa Mandi by the farmers. At Mehal Kalan, farmers blocked the Ludhiana-Bathinda highway.

In Abohar, there were reports that the farmers had staged a protest outside the SDM office, which was still continuing till the filing of the report. Agitating farmers were demanding monetary compensation in lieu of the crops damaged due to the shortage of power supply in the region.

In Ferozepur, farmers staged a protest at Shooshak village and blocked the Ferozepur-Zira road for hours and rasied slogans against the state government. There were also reports of protests at some places in Faridkot, Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur and Fazilka districts.