More than 3.5L farmers in delta still waiting for free electricity

Tiruchy: Farmers from delta region staged a protest in Thanjavur on Saturday demanding to provide power connection to as many as 3.52 lakh farmers, who have been waiting for the service for several years.

According to the group of protesters, around 4.52 farmers were awaiting for new power connection for the past 18 years till last year. The government in last year’s budget announced power supply would be given to one lakh farmers and out of this 90,000 have got it.

“Representatives of farmers association met Chief Minister MK Stalin thanked him for giving power service to 90,000 farmers and appealed to provide supply to the remaining 3.52 lakh,” said Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan, Secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association who led the protest.

Vimalnathan urged the state government to provide power supply to the remaining 3.52 lakh farmers in the current financial year. He said that the farmers, who cultivate paddy, sugarcane and banana, were given free power supply while small-time farmers, who raise vegetables, fruits, flowers and millets, were only given paid power supply for which each farmer has to pay at least Rs 22,000 as usage charges.

“We demand not to discriminate among farmers and provide free power supply to all,” Vimalnathan said. They also raised slogans in support of their demands.