Staff Reporter
Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) Chairman Chaudhry Anwar has threatened that the farmer will be forced to stage a sit-in in front of Mepco Headquarters if previous electricity rates for tubewells are not restored.
Addressing a press conference at Multan Press Club along with PKI members, Ch Anwar said that farmers would stage a sit-in in front of Mepco office in Multan on May 27 and would not pay their electricity bills until previous rates are restored.
The
PKI chief regretted that farmers have been pushed back five years back financially by the Mepco by disconnecting their power supply.
This situation has severely affected maize, sugarcane and cotton crops, which will hurt the over agricultural economy.
He claimed that electricity rate was Rs5.35 with zero tax while the present govt has imposed Rs7.35 and 6 types of taxes on it which took the rate to Rs16 per unit which the farmer cannot pay.
DAP fertilizer was available for Rs2,400 per bag
during the previous govet which is now being sold at Rs5,600 per bag under the present government.
The Punjab government bought wheat from farmers at Rs1,800 per maund while the governments of Sindh, Balochistan and KPK procured Rs 2,000 per maund.
He said that the farmers should be given concessions in electricity bills and DAP fertilizers
rates to flourish the agriculture.
