VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government will soon take up an e-fish survey for identifying aquaculture farmers who can be extended concessional power tariff in the state.
The survey will identify farmers with tanks below or above five acres of land located in aqua or non-aqua zones. According to the eligibility criteria to be eligible for concessional tariff, an aqua farmer must have a tank spread over less than five acres of land located in an aqua zone. She or he will then be able to get subsidised power at ₹1.50 per unit.
In case the farmer has a tank spread over in more than five acres’ land in an aqua or non-aqua zone, he will get subsidised power for ₹3.85 per unit. This rate is against the tariff of ₹6.89 per unit fixed by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC).
This means aqua farmers having tanks in less than five acres’ land located in aqua zone will get power tariff concession of ₹5.39 per unit. Those having tanks in more than five acres’ land located in aqua and non-aqua zones will get power tariff concession of ₹3.04 per unit.
However, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, at a public meeting held at Ganapavaram in Eluru district on May 16, had announced the bonanza of giving subsidised power at ₹1.50 per unit to aqua farmers even if they are having tanks spread over 10 acres’ land located in an aqua zone. A government order has, however, not been issued yet for implementation of this promise.
In the interim, AP has become the first state in the country to develop an e-fish app with details of all aquaculture farmers culturing both fish and shrimp, along with size of their tanks and also their location. The survey is intended to provide subsided power at ₹1.50 per unit to eligible aqua farmers in the state.
However, as APERC enhanced price of power to ₹6.89 per unit, state government intends to categorise farmers as those having tanks in less than five acres and those with tanks in more than five acres to avoid additional financial burden. 63,800 aquaculture power connections exist in AP as of now. The e-fish survey will find out those farmers who have more than one power connection or have committed any such irregularity.
The e-fish survey has been completed for 40,000 power connections so far. Remaining connections will be surveyed by end of June.
Fisheries joint director (aquaculture) Dr. Sankara Rao said, “We appeal to all aqua farmers to enrol themselves in the ongoing e-fish survey and submit all details to avail concessional power tariff. We are also advising them not to panic in case they get inflated power bill due to any reason, as it will be adjusted in the next month’s bill.”
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