A day before the start of paddy transplantation across the state, the Punjab Government on Tuesday assured to have made all arrangements while ensuring regular power supply and adequate canal water to the farmers.
The State Government, this year, postponed the date for paddy transplantation by 10 days, from June 10 to 20, with an aim to save groundwater. The authorities have also acted tough against the farmers planting their paddy crop on the traditional date of June 10.
Assuring that the farmers will get regular power supply during the paddy plantation season, the state Power Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar said that the state has arranged 13,073 MW power against the anticipated demand peak of 12,290 MW per day besides setting up a robust complaint redressal system.
On the other hand, the state Revenue and Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria has also directed his Department's officials to ensure adequate canal water supply during the season, while also monitoring the canals and check water theft.
Allaying fears regarding power shortage, Kangar assured the farmers that the Department is fully alive to the paddy season requirement and adequate arrangements have been made for the same. The Minister held a meeting with state power utility — Punjab State Power Corporation limited (PSPCl) — to review the arrangements made to meet the escalated demand in view of paddy plantation commencing on Wednesday.
He said that the PSPCl is prepared to meet the exigencies and to ensure an eight-hour uninterrupted power supply to the farmers every day.
Kangar said that Punjab is an agrarian state wherein the power load during peak summer and the paddy season comes to an all time high. “The maximum demand recorded last year is 11,705 MW in July, which was a challenge to meet, but has been successfully met by arranging power from all the available sources optimally. In 2018, maximum demand of 12,290 MW per day is anticipated,” he said.
“Various arrangements have been made to meet this year’s demand including 700 MW hydro, 1510 MW thermal, 4567 MW from share in central pool, 3187 MW from Talwandi Sabo, Nabha power and Goindwal sahib power plants, 150MW from PEDA, co-generation or biomass, 669 MW Solar, 1990 MW banking arrangements and 300 MW purchase of renewable energy (RE) from Himachal,” he said.
He added that the Renewable Energy purchase is done to meet renewable power obligations under green power.
The Minister said that the power arrangement has been strengthened with a robust complaint redressal system. “During summer season and in paddy plantation period as the peak demand of electricity skyrockets so do supply related complaints. For that, PSPCl has a well established customer care system in place reachable on a single number (1912) all across the state,” he said.
Besides, 98 Nodal Complaint Centres have also been established to monitor resolution of complaints to the satisfaction of consumers and five zonal control rooms in all zones across the state coupled with one at head office level has also been established.
Kangar had also met the representatives of officers’ association, office bearers of PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab and other employee unions. The associations flagged various issues including pay scale anomalies, promotions, compensation to contractual employees who die on duty and reopening of the recently closed units of Thermal plants.
After giving a patient hearing to all, the Minister assured early resolution of the issues. He promised to raise with the Chief Minister the concern of the employees’ unions pertaining to feasibility of running all the units of Bathinda and Ropar thermal plants.
At the same time, the Minister cautioned the farmers against the people with vested interests who are playing with their sentiments and are inciting them towards demonstrations seeking 16-hour power supply.
“I, being from an agrarian background, can vouch by personal experience that eight hours regular power supply is sufficient for paddy plantation,” he
ADEQUATE CANAl WATER SUPPlY FOR FARMERS
Directions have been issued to the officials of Water Resources Department to ensure adequate canal water supply during paddy season starting from Wednesday. Besides, instructions have also been issued to check the canal water theft so that water can reach at the tail ends.
Giving assurance, the Minister in-charge Sarkaria said that farmers would get adequate canal water supply for paddy sowing and they would not face any scarcity of water. He instructed the officials that all canals should be run to their indent.
Sarkaria said that the state government was fully committed to ensure welfare of the farmers and would not left any stone unturned to bail them out from the current agrarian crisis despite having limited resources at their end.
At the same time, he impressed upon the Centre to immediately implement the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission so as to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers of their produce on one hand and make agriculture economically viable on the other.
He exhorted the farmers that they should decrease the dependency on the ground water and cultivate those crop varieties which need less water.