Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau/Representative Image
From 8 hours to barely 2—Power crisis in Tarn Taran sparks farmer fury
Baljeet Singh
Tarn Taran (Punjab), June 1, 2025: While Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has pledged eight hours of uninterrupted electricity to Punjab’s farmers during the crucial paddy sowing season, ground reports from the Patti constituency in Tarn Taran district reveal a starkly different reality.
In Sabra village, farmers are receiving barely two hours of power—if at all—due to dangerously sagging 11 KV lines that have been left unattended for days.
These faulty lines, hanging low across agricultural fields, not only disrupt electricity supply but also pose a serious threat to the lives of those working the land.
Voicing their anger, Sohan Singh Sabra, Block President of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), along with several farmer leaders, staged a protest near the village electricity house.
“The wires from the Dumne Wala feeder are so loose they’re entangled in the fields. Farmers are at risk of electrocution, and the electricity department is sleeping through it,” he said.
According to villagers, some farmers have already lost their lives due to contact with these live wires. Despite multiple complaints and appeals, electricity department employees remain indifferent.
“These officers act like they are above the government and the Chief Minister’s orders,” said a frustrated farmer from the area.The protesting farmers demanded immediate action and warned of a large-scale agitation if their grievances are not addressed.
“The government may be making promises, but on the ground, negligence and indifference are killing those promises—and our crops,” said Sohan Singh.