WATCH | Karnataka Farmers Reach Power Station With Crocodile to Protest Electricity Crisis

In a unique protest against the electricity crisis, farmers in Karnataka reached a local power station in Vijayapura district with a crocodile.

The incident took place at the Hubli Electricity Supply Company Limited (HESCOM) office on October 19 when a group of farmers arrived there with a crocodile on a tractor’s trolley, India Today reported.

Farmers reportedly asked HESCOM officials about steps they would take if someone was bitten by a snake, scorpion, or crocodile and died during the night.

Farmers, when presenting the crocodile to the officials, insisted on continuous three-phase electricity throughout the daytime to prevent their crops from withering. Later, forest officials rescued the crocodile and set it free in the Almatti River.

Last week, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said consumption has gone up from 10,000 MW to 16,000 MW in October in the state due to drought this year.

The power shortage in Karnataka has emerged as a political controversy, not only in Karnataka but also in the neighbouring poll-bound Telangana. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) have been staging protests against government-imposed load shedding, which is adversely affecting the farmers. On the other hand, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party leader K Kavitha is also using the situation to attack the Congress in Telangana.

Usually, 10,000 MW power is consumed during October, but now it has gone up to 16,000 MW. There is an increase of power consumption by 6,000 MW, the Chief Minister explained.

Conceding that there was an electricity crisis in the state, the CM said recently he had a meeting with officials where he directed them that the farmers should be given a three-phase power connection for five hours continuously.

Siddaramaiah had said he has instructed the officers to purchase power from outside the State wherever there is availability and also obtain it from cogeneration in sugar factories of the state. We are making every possible effort to ensure there is no load shedding for our farmers, he said.

(With PTI inputs)

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