Hyderabad: CPI MLC Nellikanti Satyam on Monday raised serious concerns in the Legislative Council over the problems faced by farmers in Telangana, particularly relating to power supply infrastructure.
Speaking in the House, Satyam said the claim that the government replaces burnt transformers free of cost was incorrect. Instead, he alleged that farmers are spending their own money to move damaged transformers for repairs. As a result, the financial burden continues to fall on cultivators.
Moreover, Satyam said the situation regarding electricity poles has worsened. He pointed out that under the previous government, farmers received seven power poles after paying for three demand drafts. However, under the present system, they receive only one pole. Therefore, farmers are forced to buy the remaining poles from private sources.
Chairman confirms farmers bear transformer repair costs
Meanwhile, Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy supported Satyam’s remarks. He said farmers are indeed paying from their own pockets for transformer repairs. He added that he has personally witnessed such cases in the field.
The Chairman further said the ground reality does not match official claims. He noted that although Power Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said everything was functioning smoothly, field-level conditions tell a different story. As a result, works are not progressing as stated, he observed.
The Chairman’s remarks, therefore, put the ruling party in an uncomfortable position during the proceedings.