FARMERS WAIT FOR POWER CONNECTIONS IN BARMER

BARMER:Chief minister Vasundhara Raje while announcing her second state budget for 2014-15 had said that 40,000 agricultural and rural power connections would be provided. However, it seems Barmer hasn’t gained much from this announcement. Until March 2016, the energy department had released 1,442 connections against the pending 24,600. Until February, only nine agricultural connections, out of the pending 22,973, have been provided.

These 22,973 farmers have been waiting for past seven years for the power connection.

There is a government directive against issuing agricultural power connections in the state. Earlier, the government had said that farmers who had applied for agricultural connections by October 2009 would get it. On February 3, 2017, the state government extended this cut-off date to February 2010. This fourmonth extension will benefit only 1089 farmers in Barmer.

Hemraj Choudhary, a farmer, said that there are many like him who have been waiting for electricity since 2009. “I have bought a tube well and other equipment which need electricity to run. But all my money has gone down the drain as there is no power connection,” he said.

Goparam Sirvi, superintendent of engineer at Jodhpur DISCOM in Barmer, said that they could release only nine connections this year because of the government’s directive and cutoff date restriction. He said that demands notes for the 1089 pending applications will be issued soon.

Meanwhile, sources in the energy department claimed that power crisis and material budget are the main reasons behind the delay.

Congress district vice-president YD Joshi said that the BJP government had come to power chanting pro-poor slogans. They had said that the government would be dedicated to the development of villages, the poor and the farmers. “But they have failed. It’s a matter of shame for the ruling party,” he added.