The TDP and the Congress have warned of protests if the YSRCP government goes ahead with its plan to install meters for farm pump sets.

TDP State official spokesman N. Balaji on Thursday contended that metering of farm pump sets on the pretext of introduction of direct benefit transfer (DBT) was nothing but an attempt to dilute the free power scheme over a period. Farmers were at a risk of disconnection of power supply for non-clearance of bills for various reasons, he feared.

He wanted the State government to take up the responsibility of paying the bills for the entire units consumed instead of first transferring the amounts to the bank accounts of farmers, who might suffer due to delay in the process of settlement of bills.

While the Telangana government had opposed the metering of farm pump sets, Andhra Pradesh had turned into a “puppet in the hands of ruling BJP at the Centre” for reasons best known to it, he charged.

Metering was also an attempt to moderate power consumption by the farmers, who, according to an estimate, consumed power between two-and-half to four-and-half hours only against the promised nine hours of power supply, and charge for the excess power consumed, or put a ceiling on power consumption in the future.

Agitation warned

Meanwhile, DCC president E. Sudhakar Reddy said the party would stage agitations against the attempt to fix meters for farm pump sets.

Both the Union and State governments were making efforts to reduce power subsidy under one pretext or the other, he alleged. The Congress, when in power, had implemented the free power scheme, overcoming various problems in its implementation, he claimed.