SHIMOGA: Minister for Public Works and Energy H.D. Revanna said here on Tuesday that farmers should cooperate with the Government by agreeing to fix energy meters to irrigation pump sets in view of the subsidy offered by it.

Mr. Revanna told presspersons here that it had been decided to supply power to irrigation pump sets at 40 paise per unit. The Government purchased power at Rs. 3.50 a unit.

He said the Government raised the subsidy level for this purpose to Rs. 2,400 crore from Rs. 1,400 crore.

The Minister said Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. had been implementing the Rs. 1,755-crore action plan for system improvement, which included building 450 power sub-stations and the replacement of old electricity poles.

He said the construction of 250 power sub-stations would be completed in two months.

Mr. Revanna said Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) had proposed to add 5,000 MW to the State grid by taking up thermal power projects at an estimated cost of Rs. 17,000 crore in Raichur and Bellary in addition to the 1,500 MW of power proposed to be generated through wind mill energy project.

Mr. Revanna said the power supply, which was for two or three hours in 68 taluk headquarters when he assumed office as Energy Minister, had been increased to eight hours a day.

He said it had been planned to provide round-the-clock power supply to irrigation pump sets under the Rural Management Load System at a cost of Rs. 750 crore.

He said the Government was trying to encourage generation of non-conventional power wherever it was feasible.

Managing Director of the KPTCL Bharath Lal Meena said the power requirement was around 7,500 MW while it suffered the 12 per cent deficit during peak hours.

He said theft and transmission loss was brought down from 34 per cent to 27 per cent recently.

Minister for Water Resources and local MLA K.S. Eshwarappa and Tirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra were present.

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