Punjab farmer wins Rs 50,000 from power corporation after three-year tubewell ordeal
A Punjab consumer commission has directed the state power corporation to shift a farmer's tubewell electricity connection and pay him Rs 50,000 as compensation. The commission found that the farmer, Shokeen Singh, was forced to run from 'pillar to post' for nearly three years after his old borewell dried up, severely affecting his crop yields.
In its June 10 order, the commission, led by President Naveen Puri along with members Prem Singh Salaria and Harvimal Dogra, termed the corporation's approach 'autocratic and illogical'. It held that bureaucratic technicalities could not deprive a farmer of an essential utility service.
Shokeen Singh, a 57-year-old farmer from Hoshiarpur, had applied to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in September 2023 to shift his tubewell connection to a newly dug borewell about 100 feet away. The old borewell had dried up, leaving him without irrigation water. Despite paying the required fees and completing formalities, the corporation did not provide the connection.
The farmer argued that he had been suffering for about three years, with his annual agricultural yields reduced to nothing due to non-availability of water. He was ready to pay the cost of extending the PVC cable to his new submersible bore.
The commission observed that a neighbouring landowner had refused to sign a no-objection certificate, but questioned whether that meant the farmer should be permanently denied service. 'The plea taken by the opposite party has no substance and smells of autocratic and illogical ways,' the order read.
The commission found the corporation's conduct reflected an 'autocratic attitude', noting that the concerned officer failed to appear despite being called twice. It imposed costs for the arbitrary conduct and failure to discharge statutory duties. The corporation was directed to shift the connection to the new borewell.
