Kolar MLA warns of power cut to Tata-Airbus helicopter assembly unit in Vemagal

Kottur Manjunath, Kolar Congress MLA, has threatened to cut power supply to the recently-inaugurated Tata-Airbus helicopter assembly unit in Vemagal, if it doesn’t draw power from a separate industrial feeder.

His threat came five days after the Tata Advanced Systems’ Final Assembly Line for the Airbus H125 helicopter was inaugurated virtually on February 17 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and France President Emmanuel Macron at a high-profile event. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was present at Vemagal.

The MLA argued on Monday: “We have given our farmers’ land to the company. It has been a year since the company started its work. But the company, which should have received electricity from an industrial feeder line, is still receiving electricity from Vemagal. This has caused electricity problems for farmers and locals. Therefore, the company has already been instructed to receive electricity from the industrial feeder. If the electricity feeder is not changed soon, the farmers’ tractors will be driven in and the electricity connection will be cut off.”

Addressing the media in Kolar on Monday, he also expressed dissatisfaction over the neglect of local public representatives for the inaugural programme of the unit.

He further alleged that companies coming from outside and setting shop in their area were only ruining them. “They are giving our farmers only menial jobs, and giving good positions to others,” Mr. Manjunath alleged, and instructed the panchayat officials not to renew their licence.