UPPCL has issued an order to all control rooms directing restriction of power supply to tube wells from 7am to 5pm
LUCKNOW: The UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has decided to reduce power supply to tube wells from 18 hours to 10 hours, drawing ire of the consumers’ body.
The development in the midst of kharif crop season follows separation of tube well feeders from the ones providing electricity to rural habitations where the state government promised at least 18 hours of supply.
UPPCL has issued an order to all control rooms directing restriction of power supply to tube wells from 7am to 5pm. “After 5pm, the power supply to tube wells will get automatically snapped,” it says.
When contacted, principal secretary (energy) Alok Kumar said that the 10-hour power supply to tube wells was good enough. “Separation of tube well feeders from rural ones will reduce the load and help in uninterrupted power supply to both tube wells as well as rural households,” he told TOI.
Significantly, the development comes close on the heels of the government proposing a hike in power tariff for tube wells from Rs 150/horse power to Rs 170 per horse power. Earlier, when there was no feeder separation, there was 18 hours of power supply to tube wells.
President of UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhogta Parishad said, “Reducing supply hours to tube wells must be accompanied by tariff reduction, else it would be an anti-farmers stance on the part of government.”
The issue will now be taken up by UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), which is taking petitions and holding public hearings in the state before announcing a fresh power tariff order, probably by the first week of September.
Source: energy.economictimes.indiatimes
