5 maize farmers lost their crop. They are now blaming high-tension wires
Telangana discom denies allegations, says sparks do not occur on lines in the area.
The district administration and the local MLA in Mahabubabad, Telangana, find themselves in a piquant situation after five farmers lost their ready-to-harvest maize crop across 15 acres to a fire that they blame on high-tension overhead wires.
The farmers from Thallapoosapalli village in Kesamudram mandal alleged that sparks from overhead high-tension power lines passing through their fields triggered the blaze, destroying crops worth lakhs. They claimed a short circuit caused the sparks.
However, the Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Ltd (TGNPDCL) denied the allegations, stating that such sparks do not occur on those lines. “It is extremely rare. A fire may occur if a power line snaps or falls on dry grass or crops, but in this case the power lines did not touch the ground, nor were there any sparks. My team conducted a thorough analysis at the site and concluded that power lines did not cause that fire,” Superintending Engineer Vijender Reddy said.
The farmers have lodged a complaint at Kesamudram police station. “The fire started only due to a short-circuit on the power lines. We see sparks all the time. I had invested a lot of money in the crop, everything is lost now… I am in a huge debt now,” said J Komariah, a farmer who lost four acres of crops.
According to the farmers, the first fire broke out around April 14, while a larger blaze gutted 15 acres last week. While police are still investigating, sources said rivalry among farmers in the area—who began cultivating a few years ago after receiving land under the Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR)—may have led to deliberate arson.
“The farms are located in such a remote forest-fringe area that fire engines could not reach. Fire officials contacted electricity department officers to switch on power supply so that farm pumps could be used to spray water and contain the blaze. The fire department managed to prevent it from spreading to nearby fields and habitations. There was no power supply to the farms at the time of the fire in the afternoon, as supply is given from 4 am to 11 am,” an official said.
The affected farmers, along with others, approached district collector Sneha Shabarish and Mahbubabad MLA Murali Bhukya Naik, seeking action against the electricity department and compensation.
Naik, who mediated between the farmers, electricity engineers, police and district administration, said all three agencies have ruled out the theory of sparks from power lines. “It is most likely that someone targeted these five farmers; it is peak summer and the crop was very dry and ready to harvest. A deliberately thrown matchstick can cause such a fire,” he said.
The farmers, however, remain unconvinced and continue to demand compensation. “If they are covered under ‘Rythu Bhima’ scheme or any other farmers’ scheme, we will try to get them compensation,” Naik said.
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The district administration and the local MLA in Mahabubabad, Telangana, find themselves in a piquant situation after five farmers lost their ready-to-harvest maize crop across 15 acres to a fire that they blame on high-tension overhead wires.
The farmers from Thallapoosapalli village in Kesamudram mandal alleged that sparks from overhead high-tension power lines passing through their fields triggered the blaze, destroying crops worth lakhs. They claimed a short circuit caused the sparks.
However, the Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Ltd (TGNPDCL) denied the allegations, stating that such sparks do not occur on those lines. “It is extremely rare. A fire may occur if a power line snaps or falls on dry grass or crops, but in this case the power lines did not touch the ground, nor were there any sparks. My team conducted a thorough analysis at the site and concluded that power lines did not cause that fire,” Superintending Engineer Vijender Reddy said.
The farmers have lodged a complaint at Kesamudram police station. “The fire started only due to a short-circuit on the power lines. We see sparks all the time. I had invested a lot of money in the crop, everything is lost now… I am in a huge debt now,” said J Komariah, a farmer who lost four acres of crops.
According to the farmers, the first fire broke out around April 14, while a larger blaze gutted 15 acres last week. While police are still investigating, sources said rivalry among farmers in the area—who began cultivating a few years ago after receiving land under the Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR)—may have led to deliberate arson.
“The farms are located in such a remote forest-fringe area that fire engines could not reach. Fire officials contacted electricity department officers to switch on power supply so that farm pumps could be used to spray water and contain the blaze. The fire department managed to prevent it from spreading to nearby fields and habitations. There was no power supply to the farms at the time of the fire in the afternoon, as supply is given from 4 am to 11 am,” an official said.
The affected farmers, along with others, approached district collector Sneha Shabarish and Mahbubabad MLA Murali Bhukya Naik, seeking action against the electricity department and compensation.
Naik, who mediated between the farmers, electricity engineers, police and district administration, said all three agencies have ruled out the theory of sparks from power lines. “It is most likely that someone targeted these five farmers; it is peak summer and the crop was very dry and ready to harvest. A deliberately thrown matchstick can cause such a fire,” he said.
The farmers, however, remain unconvinced and continue to demand compensation. “If they are covered under ‘Rythu Bhima’ scheme or any other farmers’ scheme, we will try to get them compensation,” Naik said.
