Serial thefts of electric motor starters in Yerpedu mandal – an irreparable blow to food suppliers

Along with the farmers who are struggling due to natural disasters and debt, now the fear of thieves has gripped them. The farmers of the Erpedu Mandal of Srikalahasti constituency in Tirupati district are deeply worried as thieves are targeting electric motor starters, which are vital to their crops. The theft of 11 to 15 electric motor starters in a single night in Endiputtur and Chelluru villages of the mandal has created a stir locally. The farmers who went to the fields in the morning were shocked to see the starter boxes empty. The thieves dumped the spare parts related to the starters in the fields and took away the main equipment. The value of each starter is around Rs. 5,600, causing huge financial loss to the victims. The farmers are expressing anger over the repetition of such thefts in the mandal every time paddy cultivation begins, every two to three months. They are already in debt and are struggling to buy new starters every time, and their yields are also decreasing due to lack of timely water for their crops. The affected farmers have complained to the local police, suspecting that an organized gang may be behind these series of thefts. The farmers are demanding that police patrols be intensified at night and the thieves be caught immediately, and that the government provide adequate compensation to the affected farmers and take strict measures to ensure the safety of their agricultural equipment.