SHIMOGA: President of the Irrigation Pumpset Users' Federation and vice-president of the Malnad Areca Marketing Cooperative Society K. Narasimha Naik said here on Friday that the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) had agreed to refund the bill for irrigation pumpsets made even after it was waived.

Addressing presspersons, he said that the S.M. Krishna Government had waived the electricity bill in 2003 to the tune of Rs. 600 crore in view of the severe drought conditions prevalent then and reimbursed the amount to the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL).

"Instead of waiving the electricity bill of all the irrigation pump set users, the KPTCL chose to waive it only in the case of those who paid the bill promptly. As a result of the protracted legal battle, the KPTCL has now agreed to return the amount of the bill paid by all the farmers before March 31.The amount to be refunded would be adjusted towards the next bills," he said. Mr. Naik said that according to the order, the MESCOM had to refund Rs. 2 crore in the Shimoga division alone. But it had not intimated the irrigation pumpset users about it.

He said the decision to refund the amount paid by the prompt payers should be welcomed. Mr. Naik asked farmers to pay Rs.10 for each horsepower of the irrigation pumpset in addition to 40 paise per unit of power used.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail