Mangalore : Members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha staged a semi-nude protest and tried to picket the office of the MESCOM MD in Mangalore on April 8, Monday to express their resentment over the frequent power cuts and to resolve the various electricity related problems of the farming community. The protestors who gathered outside the MESCOM office at around 11 am, began raising slogans against the MESCOM and the MESCOM MD and demanded that the latter hold talks with them.
The efforts of the MESCOM Technical Director to pacify the agitators went in vain. It only added to their anger and they took off their shirts and staged a protest demanding that they will hold talks only with the MD and even threatened that they will go in for a nude protest if he did not turn up.
The MESCOM MD Sumanth finally arrived and held talks with the representatives of the Raitha Sangha. Vijayanand Hegde, State Vice President of the Sangha, demanded that the MESCOM intimate the power consumers well in advance regarding power cuts and pointed out that
the students were hit hard.
He demanded shifting of UPCL from Udupi district and also steps to provide power to the undivided DK district from Jog. The Sangha also urged the MESCOM MD to withdraw false cases leveled
against farmers who have installed pumpsets. Pointing out that recently a false case has been registered against members of the Sangha stating that they had attacked a lineman. They demanded that the JE and lineman who had lodged a complaint be immediately suspended from service.
The MESCOM MD who assured to consider the demands directed the Technical Director of MESCOM to investigate the case and submit a report within 24 hours. He further said the MESCOM would henceforth ensure steps to see that the consumers are informed well in advance regarding power cuts.
On UPCL not supplying power to the district, the MESCOM MD said nothing could be done as there is no PPA to supply power only to the districts. He also pacified the agitators by stating that a meeting would soon be convened to discuss all their demands.
