HYDERABAD, Jan 2: The growers of Tando Jam, who have installed tube-wells due to the acute shortage of irrigation water, complained that due to low voltage they were unable to operate their tube-wells.

Talking to Dawn on Wednesday, Qazi Ghulam Qadir Rajar, said that for 20 days in a month the power supply usually remained cut-off and for the remaining ten days voltage was so low that it was impossible to operate the tube-wells.

He said that he had met with the SDO and the executive engineer concerned and the SE, Hesco, but so far no action had been taken.

He said that Hesco officials had claimed that the Khatian feeder, the feeder from which the area receives power supply, was too long and therefore the voltage was low.

He said on an average the growers paid Rs20,000 per month as power bill to the Hesco but even then they were not being supplied electricity regularly.

He said agricultural inputs such as seed, fertilizers, and pesticides were being wasted due to the low voltage and suspension of the power supply.

He said the growers would suffer huge losses due to the destruction of their wheat crop, and added that they would not be able to repay their bank loans and agricultural taxes.

He appealed to the Hesco authorities and the Sindh Government to take notice of the issue and ensure regular power supply for their tube-wells.