Hingoli: Farmers led by the Krantikari Shetkari Sanghatana staged a half-hour protest outside the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. (MSEDCL) Superintending Engineer's office in Hingoli on Tuesday, demanding an immediate end to load-shedding, the provision of single-phase electricity at night for farmers in Kalgaon and Bhandegaon, and the speedy resolution of pending power-related issues.
Farmers and other electricity consumers in the district have been facing severe inconvenience due to prolonged load-shedding over the past few days. Farmers from Kalgaon and Bhandegaon, particularly affected by the power cuts, demanded a single-phase electricity supply during the night to carry out agricultural work.
Leading the protest, Krantikari Shetkari Sanghatana district president Namdev Patange alleged that MSEDCL's functioning in the district had become negligent. He claimed that despite repeated complaints, officials in the electricity department had failed to address farmers' grievances, causing significant hardship.
Patange urged Superintending Engineer RM Jadhav to direct officials and staff to respond promptly to electricity-related complaints. The protest continued for around 30 minutes.
Following the demonstration, Jadhav gave a written assurance that the key demands would be addressed. Based on this assurance, the organisation withdrew its protest.
However, the Sanghatana warned that if the promises are not fulfilled within the stipulated timeframe, it will launch a larger democratic agitation in the interest of farmers.
Several farmers, including Pravin Mate, Ramesh Jadhav, Ashok Jaiswal, Vishal Paul, Raosaheb Ghumnar and others, participated in the protest.
