A writ has been filed before the power regulator UP State Electricity Regulatory Commission seeking increase in power supply to the agriculture sector to 16 hours from the present 10 hours.
The petitioner has argued that the farmers need more electricity as there is over 60 percent deficit in rainfall in 64 districts where a near-drought situation prevails, thus damaging the standing paddy crop.
The petition has been filed under the Section 23 of the Indian Electricity Act, 2003.
The petitioner, Avadesh Kumar Verma, chairman of UP Power Consumer Forum, said, in UP there were close to 14 lakh private tube wells and the farmers used them as per their requirement for irrigating their crops.
He said during the current Kharif crop, the farmers need to irrigate the paddy crop and deficient rainfall had led to increase in demand for electricity so the power supply duration needs to be increased to 16 hours from present 10 hours.
He said the deficit rainfall coupled with less than 10 hours’ power supply to the agriculture sector had aggravated the crisis for the farmers.