The drive launched by the Mangaluru Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) to regularise unauthorised irrigation pump sets in the district has evoked good response.
Superintendent Engineer of Mescom M. Eshwara has said that 9,948 farmers have submitted application for regularisation.
Stating that according to an estimate, there were 15,500 unauthorised irrigation pump sets in the district, he said, about two-thirds of such farmers had applied for regularisation.
Initially, when the drive was launched in July 2014, the Mescom had set March 31 as the last date for submitting applications for regularisation. It had later been extended to May 15, he said.
Applicants should pay a sum of Rs. 10,000 as fee for the regularisation and deposit Rs. 778 for consuming one horse power of electricity. A photocopy of the Record of Rights, Tenancy and Cultivation (RTC), water rights certificate and photo identity card should be submitted along with the application.
After submitting the application, the Mescom personnel would conduct a spot inspection and prepare an estimate of the amount required to create necessary infrastructure for the regularisation of pump sets, which would include installation of new transformers, electricity poles and drawing of power line. The Mescom would launch a special drive to create awareness among the remaining farmers on the need to get their irrigation pump sets regularised, he said.
Of the 9,948 applications received from the farmers, 9,434 applications had already been processed and cleared. The work of preparing the estimate for regularisation of power connection for 7,285 applications was under way and the work order regarding 28 applications had already been awarded. The work related to regularisation of 32 irrigation pump sets was under progress and that of regularisation would be completed in a year, he said.
