Give farm pumps round-the-clock power amid drought-like conditions, MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar urges chief minister

Chandrapur: With drought-like conditions worsening in the district and a long dry spell leaving farmers dependent on irrigation to save their crops, MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has asked Chief Minister and Energy Minister Devendra Fadnavis to provide uninterrupted, steady power to agricultural pumps round the clock, Chanda Blast reported. He laid particular stress on paddy growers being able to water their crops on time.

In his statement, Mungantiwar said farmers were complaining that frequent power cuts, low voltage and faults left unrepaired for long were stopping them from irrigating their fields. He had written to the government twice before on the issue. The chief minister had directed the additional chief secretary for energy to act on those letters, but nothing has been implemented yet, he said.

He has demanded urgent inspection of power lines and other equipment in villages that face repeated outages, a fix for the low-voltage problem and priority supply for the paddy belt. He has also suggested an effective complaints system, enough technical staff and repair teams, and fixing the responsibility of officials.

He wants a special review of power supply in the affected villages, with a report on the measures taken within a set deadline, and a special action plan for irrigation and water availability in low-rainfall areas, prepared jointly by the departments concerned. The chief minister should give clear, time-bound instructions to MSEDCL and other departments, Mungantiwar said.

Source: Chanda Blast