HYDERABAD: Before initiating measures to provide 24X7 uninterrupted power supply to all sectors in the state from January 1, the electricity department officials will begin the task of removing all auto starters being used by farmers for their pump sets in the state from December.
During the trial run of providing 24-hour uninterrupted power to the agriculture sector, the energy department officials have found that many farmers are running their agricultural pump sets for 24 hours continuously with the help of auto starters leading to the depletion of the groundwater. “This can be solved by removing the auto starters and the farmers should voluntarily remove them. If the groundwater level goes down, even giving 24-hour power supply has no purpose. It is important to utilise water judiciously,” TS Transco and Genco CMD D Prabhakar Rao said on Sunday.
According to Rao, field level officers had been directed to educate farmers on this matter. A special drive to remove auto starters would be taken up from December 5 across the state.
“Officers and public representatives should educate farmers on the need to remove auto starters. Officials from electricity department will visit all villages in order to create awareness among the farmers,” Rao said after calling on Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan.
Prabhakar Rao said that the 24-hour uninterrupted power being supplied to agriculture sector on experimental basis will be stopped from Monday midnight.
“The state government has been providing 24X7 power from the midnight of Nov 6 for 23 lakh pump sets in the state. Initially, the electricity department thought to implement the scheme for five to six days. But, in order to make an in-depth study of the burden on the supply from transformers to 400 KV Sub stations, it was decided to continue the power supply till Monday midnight,” he stated.
From Tuesday onwards, the regular 9-hour power supply will continue to the farm sector. However, from January 1, 24-hour power supply will be in place as desired by the Chief Minister, he said.
Auto starters to be removed from Dec 5, 24x7 power to be stopped from today midnight