Agriculture most important sector of Indian economy: Madras high court
Chennai: Pointing out that the agriculture is the most important sector of Indian Economy, the Madras high court has pulled up the authorities for their slackness in keeping an application pending for more than 25 years to provide service connection to 20 HP Motor to a well, belonging to an agriculturist in Tiruppur district.
Justice D.Krishnakumar also directed the PWD to give suitable instructions to all the Executive Engineers, PWD, to process the applications received for issuance of NOC and communicate the decision to the Electricity Board as expeditiously as possible preferably within 2 months.
Disposing of a petition from N. Balasubramanian, an agriculturist, the judge directed the Executive Engineer, PWD, Dharapuram, to consider the application of the petitioner and pass orders within four weeks. In the event of NOC received, the Executive Engineer (O & M), TNEB, shall process the application and provide service connection to the petitioner. If the application for NOC was rejected, the EE, TNEB shall pass appropriate orders, the judge added.
The judge said in the case on hand, admittedly the application was made in 1992. Without any reason the application was pending with the EE, TNEB for 25 years. Time and again, the government has announced various schemes, concessions, subsidy, free electricity etc., to the agricultural sector for increasing the agricultural produce. Now, graduates and highly educated youngsters were also involved in the agricultural activities to increase the agricultural produce and serve the society, the judge added.
The judge said Indian agriculture sector accounts for 18 percent of India’s Gross Domestic Product and provides employment to 50 percent of the country’s workforce. “India is the world’s largest producer of pulses, rice, wheat, spices and spice products. The slackness on the part of the authorities by keeping the application pending for more than 25 years to provide service connection to 20 HP Motor to the well, would certainly cause serious impact and affect the applicants. Hence, the authorities should wake up and decide all the pending applications within 2 months, the judge added and gave the above directive.
The judge also directed the Chairman, TNEB to communicate his order to all the Chief Engineer, Executive Engineer, TANGEDCO concerned in the state. The judge posted the matter to March 11 for reporting compliance by furnishing all particulars with respect to pending applications.
