HYDERABAD: The southern discom rolled out its ‘Polam Bata’ (Path to Fields) initiative across rural areas on Sunday, sending electricity department officials, engineers, and ground staff directly into agricultural fields to evaluate power supply infrastructure and engage face-to-face with local farmers. Though the programme went off peacefully with farmers strongly lodging their complaints, there have been protests in several other locations regarding erratic power supply.
The field programme covered Vikarabad, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Medak, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Wanaparthy, Gadwal, Yadadri, Medchal, and Suryapet, among other regions within the jurisdiction of the Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL). Teams visited several villages — including Chowderguda, Chittapur, Uyyalavada, Nadaimpally, Nijampur, Choutlapally, Puttapally, Thadur, Jangampet, Gummadidala, Kothapally, and Laxmipathigudem — and focused specifically on dedicated agricultural feeder zones, according to a statement.
Officials evaluate 100 kVA distribution transformers, measuring voltage and current levels at both the transformers and borewell motor starter points. The teams also reviewed the performance of agricultural feeders, general supply stability, and the root causes behind ongoing power interruptions.
Farmers from Kodur in the Pulkal mandal of Sangareddy district recently staged a sit-in protest on main roads against frequent power outages. Raising slogans against the administration, the protestors expressed deep anxiety over their crops drying up due to the combined scarcity of electricity and water.
Farmers from Korpole, Sultanpur, Upparigudem, and Badrigudem in the same district demonstrated at the Sultanpur substation to protest prolonged power cuts and severe low-voltage issues. They highlighted that low voltage is frequently burning out agricultural pump sets and transformers, burdening them with exorbitant repair costs. Meanwhile, residents in parts of Mancherial also launched protests, complaining that they receive only 12 hours of electricity a day, coupled with unpredictable power outages during peak evening and night hours.
The discom confirmed that power officials had documented all farmer grievances and relayed the feedback to ground staff for immediate, on-site resolution. Throughout the ‘Polam Bata’ drive, authorities recorded a high volume of complaints regarding deteriorating crop conditions, malfunctioning borewell motors, erratic supply schedules, voltage drops, and localized distribution failures.
The discom stated that the officials have recorded the grievances of farmers and forwarded the same to the field staff to address them. In Medak circle, Narayana Naik, superintending engineer (operations) led a team to inspect electrical parameters under the 11 kV Wariguntham feeder at the Chinna Ghanpur substation. Parallel inspections were also executed under the 11 kV Gopalpet feeder in Wanaparthy, where local farmers formally appealed to the visiting officials to extend their daily power supply hours.
TGSPDCL maintained that the core objective of this field initiative is to bridge the gap between the utility provider and rural consumers, find out technical glitches directly at the source, and ultimately guarantee a reliable, high-quality power supply for the agricultural sector.
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