HYDERABAD: Stating that the 24x7 supply of power to the farm sector is not an achievement of the Telangana government, TJAC chairman M Kodandaram said that the same was being provided in many states across the country. The TJAC chairman wanted to know why the government was showing much interest in providing continuous power to farm sector, instead of taking steps to fulfil its poll promises such as distribution of three acres of land to each Dalit family, filling up all vacant government posts, construction of double bedroom houses to the poor and other things.
“In fact, several new power generation projects have been generating power since 2015. This has facilitated many states including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to have surplus power paving way for 24/7 power supply. The Central Electricity Authority’s 2017-18 annual report clearly explains this,” Kodandaram said.
Meanwhile, the state government’s claim that it has created a record by launching 24/7 power supply to agriculture sector on a permanent basis has drawn flak from the Congress leaders.
The Congress members on Monday said that providing round-the-clock power to agriculture sector would be detrimental to the interests of the farming community in the long run as it would lead to groundwater depletion.
“Despite electricity department officials’ advice against providing 24/7 power to the farm sector, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has ensured that power is supplied to the sector round-the-clock. Such a step would do more harm than good to farmers as it would lead to exhaustion of groundwater across the State,” Congress leaders Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and M Kodanda Reddy, who is also the chairman of TPCC frontal wing Kisan and Khet Mazdoor Congress, claimed.