12-hr power to agri pumps riddled with technical hurdles

Maharashtra government's ambitious plan to provide 12 hours solar power to agriculture pump sets to farmers is riddled with technical difficulties ahead of its implementation.
The government will have to solve the technical hurdle in the supply grid, which is geared to supply three-phased power to agriculture during night time, BJP spokesperson Vishwas Pathak told reporters.
Currently, the government supplies eight hours of solar power for pumps to farmers, while it is running a pilot project for the 12-hour plan in Ahmednagar district's Sangamner taluka.
Pathak said the current supply pattern will have to be changed in order to enable power supply to pump sets for 12 hours.

"At present 4,000 agriculture feeders have been supplied. The agriculture pump sets will have to be shifted to solar power," he said.
"Hence, the government is contemplating supplying power to some farmers depending on crop pattern. To some it can be supplied for 12 hours during day time, while for others 12 hours beginning from evening time," the leader said.

He said not all crops require watering during day time, but admitted that there could be problems faced in supplying power to residential and industrial consumers while implementing the decision.
"However, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has opined that pumpsets should be supplied power during day time so that farmers can water their farms and save their crops from wilting," he said.

Pathak apprised that power currently is supplied to agriculture (farmers) in three phase supply in night and single phase to residential during day time.
He also said a separate company under Maharashtra Electricity Development Agency (MEDA) will be brought in place to implement the decision.
"The company shall supervise the agriculture feeder separation and supply of solar power. The supply network will also have to be upgraded. The decision shall be implemented between three months between October to November," he said.
At present, 2,000 solar power-based agriculture pump sets will be put in operation. The pilot project in Sangamner which once successful shall be replicated all over the state. Primarily, the target is to provide 10,000 such pump sets to farmers.

In the long run, Pathak said, the CM has envisaged to provide five lakh pump sets in next five years.