Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T Harish Rao alleged that the proposed Telangana Rythu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TGRPDCL) could weaken the state’s agricultural power supply system and adversely impact major irrigation projects. Addressing a press conference in Siddipet, Harish accused the Congress government of trying to weaken the 24-hour free power supply scheme launched for farmers during the previous BRS administration. He claimed that a separate power distribution company for the agriculture sector would ultimately lead to reduction in power supply to farmers.The former irrigation minister claimed that the government’s decision could have far-reaching consequences on major lift irrigation schemes, including Kaleshwaram, Kalvakurthy, Nettampadu, Bhima and Koilsagar projects, which are heavily dependent on uninterrupted power. He argued that any disruption in the availability of power could affect irrigation in vast tracts of agricultural land and water supply systems associated with these projects.

BRS leader Harish Rao

He questioned the government’s claim that the new corporation would strengthen power distribution in the agricultural sector. Citing documents presented before the Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC), he claimed that Congress-affiliated representatives had earlier argued that a few hours of power supply would be sufficient for agricultural operations.He alleged that farmers are already not getting the promised 24-hour power supply. Based on his visits to substations in different areas, Harish claimed that many agricultural feeders were getting significantly fewer hours of power than officially estimated. He also expressed concern over the proposed energy sourcing model for the corporation.Citing the provisions of a recent Government Order (GO), he said the corporation is expected to depend largely on renewable energy. Since solar and other renewable sources are available only during specific periods of the day, he raised the question of how farmers and irrigation projects can be guaranteed uninterrupted power supply.He argued that separating agricultural consumers into a dedicated distribution company, while continuing with other consumers under the existing discom, could create operational and infrastructure challenges. In areas where residential and agricultural consumers are located close to each other, multiple networks may have to work together, potentially increasing costs and complexity, he said.Harish further alleged that the move was part of a broader restructuring of the power sector that could eventually open the door to privatization. He claimed that similar models have emerged in other states and urged the Telangana government to clarify its long-term intentions.He also sought to respond to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s criticism regarding borrowing by power utilities during the BRS regime. Harish said the previous government’s borrowings were spread over a decade, while he alleged that the current administration has accumulated comparable levels of debt in a much shorter period. Meanwhile, the Congress government has said that the proposed RPDCL aims to improve power management and ensure better service delivery in the agriculture sector.