Bathinda: Tubewell connections declared illegal, farmers block Amritsar road

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 27

Farmers under the banner of the Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur) today staged a protest by blocking the Bathinda-Amritsar national highway at Kanhaiya Chowk after their tubewell connections were declared illegal by the power utility.

Farmers said the documents were taken from them by officials of the electricity board to provide tubewell connections and they had also taken the money. The equipment like transformer, poles and wires were also released from the grid for tubewell connections. Later, they came to know that the connections were illegal when a team from Powercom visited the fields.

They alleged that the officials had taken money from the farmers for installation of the tubewells, but had not deposited it with the electricity department.

The farmers alleged that the accused employees had not been arrested.

A meeting with administration officials and farmers was held in which it was agreed that a meeting would be held on March 6 and a three-member committee was formed in which Punardeep Singh Brar Chief Engineer, Bathinda, Harpal Singh, SSP, Vigilance Department, Bathinda, and farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal would probe the allegations.

Commuters were the worst affected as the protest continued for around three hours. They alleged that they were feeling harassed as many had an urgent work and were already running short of time. They remained stuck in the jam for hours.