Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, June 15

Untrained farmers from three villages struggled for three days to straighten electricity poles damaged in a thunderstorm on June 10 as their repeated requests to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) fell on deaf ears.

Already under debt, farmers took things into their own hands as many had to shell out more money for diesel to run their tubewells. A PSPCL officer said the recent thunderstorm created serious problems and the shortage of employess multiplied them.

“After a thunderstorm on June 10, around 12 electricity poles were tilted to one side and the supply to the agriculture feeder of Sakraudi, Sangatpur and Kakra villages was stopped. When PSPCL officials did not come despite our repeated calls and requests, we formed a group and straightened all poles by pulling them with ropes. Our fields remained without electricity for four days from June 10 to 14,” alleged Devinder Singh Sakraudi, a leader of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Sidhupur.

He alleged after their protest, PSPCL sent two technicians on June 14, who checked the poles and the electricity supply was restored last night.

“After supplying power for few hours, it was snapped again on June 15. Even after putting our lives at risk to straighten the poles, we are still without electricity,” alleged Sakraudi.

Another farmer Harjinder Singh alleged they had to spent more on diesel to run their tubewells to irrigate their fields for paddy transplantation.

Sources in PSPCL claimed the storm had affected 950 electricity poles, 55 transformers and other equipment in Sangrur, Sunam, Khanauri, Lehra and other areas.

In total, the storm caused a damage of more than Rs 1 crore to PSPCL.

PSPCL Bhawanigarh SDO Harbans Singh claimed they provided technical assistance to farmers. “Since we are already short of staff, we allowed farmers to straighten poles and restore electricity at the earliest. We had resumed the electricity supply to some areas on June 12, but residents opposed the move and demanded that all areas should be made functional together. We restored the electricity supply on June 14.” he said.