The Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association on Tuesday submitted a petition to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) demanding that electricity connection to farmlands under tatkal system be expedited.
Association State deputy general secretary C. Nethaji said that out of 1.5 lakh farmers who had applied for urgent electricity connection to their farmlands by paying amounts ranging from a few thousands to ₹3 lakh three years ago, around 30,000 were still on the pending list.
“Despite payment of amount stipulated for tatkal connection, farmers have been waiting for years together. Asked about the delay, TNEB officials cite shortage of materials such as wires, poles, transformer and meter boxes, among others. As most of the farms cover acres of lands, the officials claim they do not have the materials required to fix electricity connection immediately,” he added.
“While TNEB has received about ₹900 crore from 30,000 farmers as tatkal fee, how can they deny connection? Will they give the same answer to house and building owners? he said.
The officials thought farm connections were of less importance when compared to commercial buildings. “If we have no electricity, how can important farming activities such as supply of water from wells and borewells be carried out,” Mr. Nethaji said.
Also, many farmers who had applied under free government schemes were yet to get their connections, he added.
Published - October 01, 2024 07:55 pm IST
