Greater Noida: Farmers protest plan to transfer power supply to NPCL

Farmers fear that linking rural electricity services to a private operator like NPCL will only increase their financial hardships

GREATER NOIDA: A group of farmers representing different villages on Monday protested in Greater Noida’s Dhoom Manikpur against the electricity department’s decision to transfer their power supply from Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) to Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL).

The protestors, who were over 50 in strength, warned of staging a large-scale movement in case officials went ahead with their plans. Later, they visited the NPCL office located in the area and submitted a memorandum to senior NPCL officials. (HT Photo)

The protestors, who were over 50 in strength, warned of staging a large-scale movement in case officials went ahead with their plans. Later, they visited the NPCL office located in the area and submitted a memorandum to senior NPCL officials, highlighting that a switch to the NPCL would lead to a significant rise in electricity tariffs, placing an undue financial burden on rural households.

“We don’t want 24-hour electricity supply if it comes at the cost of skyrocketing bills. The 18 hours of power supply that we receive from UP power corporation is more than sufficient for us… We neither need private services nor high-end electricity meters that inflate our bills,” said Rajkumar (single name), in his 40s, one of the farmers leading the demonstration.

Farmers fear that linking rural electricity services to a private operator like NPCL will only increase their financial hardships, he said, adding: “If this transition happens, every single resident, from children to elders, will join us on the streets. We will escalate the protest to a mass movement.”

On Monday, the participants belonged to Sadopur, Chand Sivana, Deri Machha, and Amka villages among others, which are slated for transfer to NPCL. Some of them termed the plan to transfer their power supply as “an imposed privatisation”.

“So far, no official has come forward to address our concerns. It seems they want to avoid us altogether. But we won’t back down until our demands are heard. This is a matter of survival for many of us. The government should not push us into a situation where electricity becomes a luxury we cannot afford,” said Geeta Naagar, one of the women farmers during the protest, while pointing out the difficulty to manage household expenses with high electricity bills, particularly for poor farming families.

NPCL, Greater Noida, spokesperson, Manoj Jha, meanwhile declined to comment over the matter.