What should farmers do?, Method of planting electric poles into the field | farmland | farmers

Recently, the news that electric poles are being built in farmland has sparked heated discussions.

According to media reports, there have been continuous reports from the public that the Guangdong Zhanjiang Power Supply Bureau of Southern Power Grid started construction of the transmission project without the consent of the villagers in advance, and also occupied some rice paddies, affecting farmers' farming and causing dissatisfaction among them. The project has a total length of 12 kilometers and 231 base towers.

Some people believe that this approach by enterprises infringes on the rights and interests of farmers, and farmers have the right to speak up for their own rights and interests.

Some people also believe that the construction of power transmission projects is in the public interest, and farmers should not be overly concerned or make a fuss over a few power poles. What is right and what is wrong?

Occupation of basic farmland without the consent of villagers

The reporter recently saw five base towers standing in rice fields, each occupying about 4 square meters of farmland, in the dissatisfied section of the Liuli Village line in Taiping Town. Ye Guilian, a villager from Liuli Village, reported that last summer, when rice was about to mature, the local power supply bureau drove construction vehicles directly into the farmland without her consent in order to build a project. Not only did they crush the rice, but they also occupied some of the farmland's construction poles and towers.

The relevant person in charge of Zhanjiang Power Supply Bureau admitted in an interview with reporters that during the construction process, in order to catch up with the schedule, "construction was carried out while negotiating compensation agreements with the public." However, until the transmission line was put into use, some people still did not sign compensation agreements for occupied land and young crops.

Villagers question the low compensation standards

"During the construction process of the power line, there was no land acquisition, and only a one-time compensation for young crops was provided to the public." The relevant person in charge of Zhanjiang Power Supply Bureau of Guangdong Power Grid introduced that according to the "Implementation Plan for Zhanjiang Power Grid Green Channel Construction" issued by Zhanjiang City in 2009, the land for the foundation of the power line poles and towers is generally not expropriated, and only a one-time compensation is provided for the land for the foundation of the poles and towers. According to the "Compensation Measures for Green Seedlings and Attached Objects on Land Expropriation in Zhanjiang City" issued by the People's Government of Zhanjiang City in 2019, the compensation for one acre of rice land is only 3000 yuan.

Some villagers do not agree with this, believing that after the construction of the base tower, it is equivalent to permanently losing cultivation of this rice field. Only a few thousand yuan is compensated for one acre of land, and when calculated, a few yuan per square meter is only a few tens of yuan per tower. A villager bluntly stated, "If you go out to work for a few days, you can earn back this money, but the occupied rice fields can no longer be used for farming, and even the surrounding fields are affected." This compensation is disproportionate to the actual losses suffered by the villagers.

Planting electric poles into the fields, farmers cannot afford to provoke them

Some villagers have also reported that planting electric wire towers in rice fields has affected mechanized farming, making it more difficult to harvest rice and requiring more money and time. I could have done more than 10 acres of homework in a day, but now I can only complete a few acres. Once the power transmission tower is accidentally damaged, farmers will suffer even greater losses. According to reports, in a certain area of Jiangxi, a farmer paid over 20000 yuan in compensation for accidentally damaging a wire pole during mechanical harvesting.

The reporter saw on site that the edges of some tower locations are drainage channels. Some villagers believe that during the construction process of the power grid line, the base tower can be avoided to the edge of the field ridge, so as to minimize or even minimize the occupation of farmland. A cadre from Taiping Town Power Supply Station reported that due to the soft and easily sinking soil near the drainage ditch, there is a lot of silt. For the convenience of construction, a third-party construction team adjusted the planned route to farmland during the piling process, resulting in the occupation of more farmland.

The relevant person in charge of Zhanjiang Power Supply Bureau also admitted, "During the construction process, when it was necessary to adjust the route and scope, there was no prior communication with the villagers, and the location was slightly offset, occupying farmland and causing disputes."

Where exactly is the problem?

To clarify the Central Plains Committee, two fundamental issues cannot be avoided.

Is the construction of electric poles in farmland in compliance with policy requirements and have there been any violations? According to relevant experts, due to the small area of cultivated land occupied by power transmission projects and the fact that they do not involve changes in land nature, there is generally no need to go through land acquisition procedures, but farmers need to be given certain compensation. From the perspective of policy compliance, power supply enterprises did not touch the policy red line when constructing power poles in farmland. However, from the perspective of their execution procedures, directly entering farmland to construct power facilities without the consent of farmers in advance violates their right to know about land use and violates the relevant provisions of the Land Management Law.

Secondly, what impact will the construction of power poles in farmland have on farmers? For farmers, once electric poles are erected in their own land, it means permanent loss of the right to cultivate the land they occupy, and production activities under the lines will also be restricted. According to the Regulations on the Protection of Electric Power Facilities, it is prohibited to stack grains and grass in the protection area of overhead power lines, and to plant plants that may endanger the safety of electric power facilities. In addition, electric poles in farmland can also cause trouble for farmers in farming. The originally open farmland, due to the insertion of several power poles, cannot be opened during agricultural machinery operation, affecting efficiency and may even touch the power poles, causing unnecessary losses. Electric poles built in farmland, although not illegal, do not cause much trouble for farmers.

After clarifying these two issues, we can come to the conclusion that when electric poles are built in farmland, the crux of the problem lies not only in whether to build them, but also in how to build them. Some of the practices of power supply companies in the report are inappropriate: without the consent of farmers, construction vehicles drove directly into farmland, not only crushing rice, but also occupying some of the construction poles and towers in farmland; It is said to be "negotiating compensation while construction", but even after the transmission line is put into use, there are still some people who have not reached an agreement on land occupation and compensation for young crops... These practices clearly lack full respect for the wishes and rights of farmers and are inappropriate.

In fact, most farmers are reasonable and aware of the benefits of power facility construction. They are not opposed to building power facilities, nor are they unable to bear the loss of a small amount of farmland being occupied. Instead, they are dissatisfied with the behavior of power companies without the consent of farmers. As for those who criticize farmers for being petty, it is obvious that they lack basic empathy. In response to the issues reported by the media, Southern Power Grid Guangdong Company recently issued a statement, stating that it "attaches great importance to this and immediately establishes a joint investigation team to investigate the situation as soon as possible."

For electricity consuming enterprises, they should consider the particularity of agricultural production, choose mountainous areas or ridges as much as possible during site selection and construction, and avoid permanent basic farmland as much as possible. In situations where it is indeed unavoidable, it is necessary to fully seek the opinions of farmers, face the difficulties caused by construction to farmers, and come up with compensation plans that satisfy farmers. For relevant departments, it is necessary to strengthen supervision and management, and strive to come up with a systematic solution. From farmland occupation to specific construction, to the formulation and distribution of compensation, there must be strict standardized procedures to effectively protect the interests of farmers.

The main problem with building utility poles in farmland is not only the farmland, but also the lack of respect for the wishes of farmers. Respecting the wishes of farmers is a fundamental principle that remains unchanged in our rural work policy, and should also be the primary principle that all industries consciously follow when entering the countryside. Only in this way can we effectively prevent such incidents from happening again.

Source | CCTV Network Comprehensive Farmers Daily, Half Moon Talk