Telangana CM urges officials to remove auto starters

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Wed, Dec 13, 2017, 07:50 PM

Telangana CM urges officials to remove auto starters

Hyderabad, Dec 13: The Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed officials on Tuesday to draw up a comprehensive plan to encourage farmers to remove auto-starters from their pump sets when the 24x7 free supply to the agriculture sector begins next year.

Mr. Rao was responding to fears that if farmers do not remove auto-starters, groundwater would be depleted and they would be left with no water for standing crops.

"If such a situation arises, it would be like jumping from frying pan to the fire,” the Chief Minister told a high-level review meeting with power officials at Pragathi Bhavan.

Mr. Rao expressed the hope that once farmers are briefed on the harm of having auto starters, they would understand and voluntarily remove the equipment. He asked agriculture and power officials and public representatives to tour the villages and educate farmers.

Mr Rao said in the past farmers had installed auto starters due to non-availability of power; these will not be needed now.

He said the government would pick the bill for 24-hour power supply to the farm sector as well as to lift irrigation schemes.

He wanted power officials to be ready as the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla lift schemes, part of the Kaleshwaram project, would start next year.