Chhattisgarh farmer dies by suicide as frequent power cuts leave fields parched

RAIPUR: A debt-ridden farmer allegedly ended his life by hanging himself in his fields after reportedly becoming upset over disrupted power supply affecting his crops in Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh on Monday.
The farmer, Puran Nishad, 57, was a resident of Singhanpur village in the Patewa region.
His son, Kuleshwar, told local media that Puran had taken a loan of ?1.70 lakh from the bank for Rabi season farming and had also undertaken borewell drilling twice to ensure sufficient water supply. However, frequent and prolonged power cuts led to water shortages, causing severe crop loss and pushing his father into depression.
His crops on two acres of land dried up, and he couldn’t bear the sight of it. On Monday night, he went to guard the fields and allegedly hanged himself from a neem tree. His son said that Singhanpur village experienced power cuts lasting 6-8 hours, despite the state being considered power surplus.
Villagers claimed that several complaint letters had been sent to electricity offices, but no action was taken.
The district administration has ordered a probe into the matter, with officials stating that it would be premature to conclude that the suicide was solely due to power cuts. They also indicated that the farmer was an alcoholic.
The farmer’s family of five depended on earnings from their four-acre farmland. Reports suggest that the area faces serious issues of low voltage.
Speaking to TOI, a police official said that other angles needed to be investigated, as it was learned that the farmer had attempted to drill a borewell twice, both of which failed. Additionally, he was reportedly an alcoholic and often got into disputes with his wife. Close relatives also revealed that the farmer had previously attempted suicide in 2015 near his house.
Nishad’s borewell encountered initial problems: the first attempt failed, and the second attempt yielded only a low water flow at a depth of 300 feet, rendering the borewell inefficient for irrigation.
During the Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha Budget session, Congress legislators raised concerns about frequent power cuts lasting 6-8 hours, particularly in remote areas, including Mahasamund, which have been severely impacting farmers. Congress MLA from Saraipali in Mahasamund, Chaturi Nand, recently highlighted that farmers were growing increasingly frustrated and losing patience over the power outages affecting their crops.
Meanwhile, the electricity department has refuted claims of power cuts, clarifying that the farmer’s power supply was provided through the 33/11 KV substation at Baunkera via the 11 KV feeder from Sindhori. The connection was from a 25 KVA transformer. Officials noted that there were five pump connections in the area, four of which were functioning properly.
The Executive Engineer further stated that the Sindhori feeder was linked to the hamlet’s feeder, which did not experience line cuts. Additionally, an inspection of the 25 KVA transformer in the village of Navapara found that voltage load was normal and no power cuts had been recorded.