Political betrayals and unpaid bills stall 24-hour power scheme in Jind

JIND: The Haryana government's Jagmag Yojana, launched in 2015 to provide 24-hour electricity to villages, has not been fully successful in Jind. Jind is known for its electricity movement, and among the various protests in Haryana, the electricity movement has been one of the most significant.
Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, Ram Raji Dhull, stated that the electricity movement in Haryana began as early as 1991. Farmers and rural communities have always been victims of political manoeuvres. So far, 38 farmers have been killed in police firing during electricity-related protests in the state—18 during the Congress rule, 8 during Bansi Lal’s rule, and 12 during Chautala’s tenure.
During Chautala’s government, the Kandela incident occurred in Jind in 2001-02, where 9 farmers were killed in police firing over electricity bills. This protest was triggered by unfulfilled political promises. Before coming to power, then chief minister late Om Prakash Chautala had promised to waive electricity bills, but after forming the government, he reneged on his promise. This betrayal enraged the people, leading to the Kandela protest, which resulted in the deaths of 9 farmers in police firing that took place in Gulkani village of Jind district.
People want to pay their bills but often fall victim to false promises and political declarations. The electricity movement has been ongoing in Jind for years, and as a result, many people have refrained from paying their bills on a large scale. They are waiting for their bills to be waived before accepting the implementation of the Jagmag Yojana.
Ramphal Kandela, a prominent farmer leader, said that people are not opposing this Yojana. “In 2015, we made an agreement with the government regarding pending electricity bills, under which a partial payment was to be made to settle the entire bill. In Jind, 60% of the people benefited from this scheme and cleared all their bills. However, even now, around 40% of people have not paid their bills on a large scale. This is the main reason why people are opposing the scheme. They want their pending bills to be resolved first, and only then should the scheme be implemented at the village level.”
However, many people believe that electricity theft happens at the rural level, and for this reason, they do not want to get official connections and receive 24-hour electricity. This is considered to be a major reason behind the opposition.
Talking to TOI superintendent of engineer (SE) Hari Dutt stated that there are 155 electricity feeders which covers all 295 villages of Jind district. “We have covered 36 feeders providing electricity to 68 villages so far. Moreover, work is ongoing in 179 villages. We are facing hindrance in 51 villages of Jind district where people are opposing this scheme,” he added.
“There is a debt of around 1,000 crore which is outstanding in Jind district. In 2024 our teams have caught 3714 people and we recovered a fine of Rs 7.5 crore from them. Moreover 3510 people have been booked for electricity theft cases in the district. People should not oppose this scheme under which they will get 24 hours electricity. However, efforts are being made to make people understand about this scheme. Our teams are constantly reaching out to villages to achieve the target,” he added.