Hyderabad

Former Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader Harish Rao claimed that instead of ensuring free power, RP-DISCOM will become a noose around the neck of Telangana’s agriculture sector.

Addressing the media at his camp office in Siddipet on Sunday, he alleged that farmers in Telangana are currently not receiving more than 13 hours of power supply and said the Congress government is preparing to reduce agricultural power supply to 8 to 9 hours, similar to Gujarat and Karnataka.

Referring to GO No. 8 issued by the government, Mr. Harish Rao said it clearly mentions allocating a higher share of renewable energy to TGRPDCL. “Solar power starts around 7 a.m. and ends by 5 p.m. How can the government claim to provide 24-hour electricity to farmers by depending on daytime solar power alone?” he questioned.

Apart from all the irrigation projects, Mr. Harish Rao warned that Mission Bhagiratha would also be affected as it requires 18 to 20 hours of continuous operation every day to supply drinking water.

He claimed the third discom would create unnecessary complications for farmers and was part of a plan to hand over profitable electricity operations to private companies and gradually weaken free power supply. “The government must immediately convene an Assembly session and discuss this issue,” he demanded.

Dismissing CM’s charges on BRS, he said that during the 10 years of BRS rule, government dues to discoms were ₹27,000 crore, which means around ₹2,000 crore per year. But in the short period of Congress rule, dues have reached ₹25,284 crore, nearly ₹10,000 crore per year, he said.

Responding to personal remarks made by the Chief Minister, he said that Mr. Revanth Reddy, who frequently changed political parties, has no moral right to speak about him. “I have spent my entire life and political journey with KCR and BRS. I have said this a hundred times and I will say it again,” he stated.