HYDERABAD: The state government is committed to provide quality power to farmers and constituted a three-member committee to monitor power supply position in the next four months. The committee will closely monitor power related problems like overloading and failure of transformers and ensure proper power supply to farmers for agricultural operations.
Energy minister C Laxma Reddy held a review meeting on power supply with TSSPDCL at the Secretariat here on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters later, the minister said that there would be no problem in supplying power to farmers both in the current Rabi and next Kharif season.
He said that there were around 80,000 farmers in Telangana who have applied for power connections to their tube-wells for agricultural operations. “The waiting list will be cleared by September next. In the first phase new connections will be given to around 40,000 farmers by the end of March. The remaining 40,000 farmers would be given new connections by September,” he said.
He further said that sufficient number of transformers would be kept ready soon as the farmers were suffering due to the frequent failure of transformers. The burnt transformers would be replaced within 24 hours after they receive a complaint, the minister said. According to him, around 16,000 transformers were damaged in the state due to load fluctuations from April 1 till date.
Laxma Reddy said that they were contemplating to have a toll free number in villages so that the farmers could lodge their complaints over damage of transformers. There was toll free number (1912) for power consumers in the city. A similar toll free would be launched in rural areas too, he added.