'Disgruntled companies instigating Kudgi farmers'

Bangalore, Sep 28: Energy Minister D?K?Shivakumar, on Saturday, said companies who had failed to bag the tender for power plant machinery were instigators of protests by alleged farmers in Kudgi.

Addressing the farmers, supposedly agitating against the Kudgi Power Plant in Bijapur, he said it has come to his notice that companies which failed to win the tenders for the project have been instigating the protest. œThere are no genuine farmers protesting the project. We have already noted the names of those taking part in them,  he said.

The government will not back down from the project and will not even delay its completion. Justifying the reasons for a new power plant, he said electricity supply companies have been suffering a loss of Rs 11,900 crore by providing free power to farmers. A substantial share of power is being utilised by districts of North Karnataka.

œWe are supplying free power to 27 lakh pump sets in the State. Of these, two lakh pump sets are in Belgaum alone. Overall, 39 per cent of our power is routed to farmers, with another 27 per cent to industries. The North Karnataka districts of Bijapur, Bagalkot and Belgaum are alone receiving 16 per cent of this power,  he said.

While there were farmers from various parts of the State, there was little representation from the affected districts of Bijapur and Bagalkot.