HC notices to State, PSERC, PSTCL on PIL seeking abolition of power subsidy to rich farmers
Chandigarh, September 26, 2017: Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the State of Punjab, Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) on the PIL seeking abolition of agricultural pump set subsidy to rich farmers.
A Division Bench of the HC comprising Justices A.K. Mittal and Amit Rawal issued the notices.
In his PIL, the petitioner, advocate Hari Chand Arora has stated that the State of Punjab has been providing free electricity for tube wells to farmers for the last several years. Such subsidy which is reimbursed to PSTCL (Punjab State Power Transmission Corporation) by the State Government has touched the figure of 6113 crores during 2016-2017. The rich farmers are also availing this subsidy.
The petitioner has stated that even riches farmers of Punjab, including Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Manpreet Singh Badal, Captain Amrinder Singh himself, Kuljit Singh Nagra etc. are enjoying the concession of free electric power for the tubewells installed for irrigating farm land.
Only one such rich farmer, namely, Sukhpal Singh Khaira has surrendered such subsidy of his own volition, and no other MLA has given up subsidy, despite an appeal made by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who himself has not given up subsidy so far.
The petitioner has pleaded that rich farmers do not deserve such concessions, and that they should be excluded from the purview of this scheme. The amount so saved can be utilized for redressal of legitimate grievances of small farmers who are committing suicides due to burden of debt. All IAS/IPS officers, MLAs/MPs/Industrialists who have farm lands also, should be excluded from the benefits of this scheme.
He has also alleged that the Punjab Government is facing a financial crunch, and does not have funds to make timely payment of salaries to its employees. That being so, the Punjab Government should not be permitted to indulge into such wasteful expenditure.
The petitioner has pleaded that just as some rich and prosperous persons are excluded from the benefit of OBC Reservations, as “creamy layer”, such a creamy layer should be carved out from amongst farmers also, by determining some criteria, so that rich farmers are not allowed to avail such subsidy.
The petitioner has also pleaded that method of giving benefit of subsidy being full of loop holes, some system to measure consumption of electric power should be evolved, and small farmers should be extended benefit of free electric power on the basis of optimum consumption of such power per acre, so that electric energy may not be wasted, as excessive use of tube wells is resulting into lowering of water table, which is not in the interest of the State.