Farmers’ union protests over taxes on transformers, electricity problems in Sirsa

Sirsa, June 24

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) staged a protest in front of the SE office of the Electricity Corporation. It is seeking the removal of the 10 per cent tax on replacing old, burnt transformers and the 20 per cent tax on new transformers for new electricity connections, among other demands. The farmers handed over a memorandum to the SDO of the Electricity Corporation, urging an immediate change in these rules.

Members of the BKU (Charuni) gathered at the SE office of the Electricity Corporation to demonstrate their demands on Monday at 11 am.

The protest was led by district head Bhupendra Singh Vaidwala, who criticised the government for turning the corporation into a revenue-generating entity rather than a service provider. He pointed out that if a farmer’s field transformer burns out, they must pay a 10 per cent tax based on the transformer’s KV before it is replaced, amounting to Rs 30,000 to 40,000. For new electricity connections, farmers also have to pay a 20 per cent tax for new transformers, adding to the financial burden.

Vaidwala said the government had announced new connections in 2018-19, but these have not been issued by the corporation yet, causing difficulties for farmers. He demanded that along with new connections, low-tension and high-tension wires and electricity meters should also be provided. He also demanded the installation of new transformers to reduce the load.

After nearly two hours of protest, the farmers submitted their memorandum to SDO Amit Singh.