Date:10/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/10/stories/2005051011090400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Problems remain, despite claims by Government

Special Correspondent

The Government says free power scheme is a success, but the TDP does not agree

HYDERABAD: "If there is a will, there is a way" was the oft-repeated comment of the Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, when quizzed about free power to agriculturists during the run-up to the election.

After one year in office, Dr. Reddy claims that the promised relief, a key factor for bringing the Congress back to power, was delivered to a majority of the 23.5 lakh agricultural services. Transco officials maintain that it has not jeopardised the efficiency of the system.

Free power is being supplied to an estimated 94.58 per cent of the services benefiting an estimated 19.06 lakh farmers with the Government bearing the entire subsidy of Rs. 871 crores.

Modifications

Ignoring repeated claims by the Telugu Desam that providing free power to farmers was unviable and that it would lead to collapse of the system, Dr. Reddy went ahead and implemented the scheme by signing the first file on free power, moments after he took over the reins of power on May 14, 2004.

However, after ten hard months in office the Government modified the policy by keeping out from its purview the corporate and IT assessee farmers.

It justified the decision on the grounds that it wanted the relief given only to the needy farmers.

However, the CPI (M), while appreciating the Government for "keeping its promise," has charged it with introducing policy changes under World Bank pressure.

The State CPI (M) secretary and Polit Bureau member, B. V. Raghavulu, said the changes were an indirect of way of introducing electric meters and expressed fears that they might ultimately lead to "tampering of the free power policy."

New policy defended

Senior Congress (I) MLA, D. L. Ravindra Reddy, however maintained that a very marginal section of the farmers were affected by the modified policy. "The hue and cry raised by the Opposition does not hold water. Farmers were happy that uninterrupted power was being supplied for seven hours. While there were many reasons for the policy's failure in Punjab, the "political will and curbing of illegal connections, have enabled successful implementation of the scheme in AP."

Accusing the Congress regime of deceiving the farmers in the name of free power, former Power Minister and TDP MLA, K. Subbarayudu, said it had "diluted" the scheme by not extending it to all farmers as promised. Besides, the Government had weeded out 3.5 lakh unauthorised connections resulting in a loss of Rs.1,100 crores to farmers and affecting 11 lakh acres of cultivated area.

Overloading problem

APTransco chairperson and managing director, Rachel Chatterjee, said the free power scheme had led to an all-time high demand of more than 160 million units during the kharif season with farmers going in for higher capacity pumpsets and using unauthorised connections.

"This led to system disturbances such as overloading of transformers, power swings and blackouts. It was on our insistence that the Government directed all unauthorised connections be removed for rabi."

Based on the performance of the power utilities, Crisil had given Andhra Pradesh the top rating among all the States in 2004-05 with a score of 57.03 per cent, she said.