Two villages where electricity is still a distant dream

From a Correspondent

Tezpur, Feb 15: “It seems to be a cruel joke on the poor villagers and the government seems to be making fun of us as it has deprived us of power supply for all these years,” said the aggrieved people of the new Jamuguri and old Jamuguri villages under Borsola LAC of Borjuli Panchayat in Sonitpur district.

The government is asserting that the tion is on the track of major development in every are and many more projects have been taken into account as benevolent schemes for the people, particularly in rural areas, to eradicate affliction and sufferings of the common people so that our tion can compete with other developed countries.  Even, the data imply that all villages have 100 per cent electrification under Atal Jyoti Abhiyan and all villages are getting power supply. But, untold sufferings of 400 families residing in new Jamuguri and old Jamuguri villages unmask the real picture of the government’s claim of large-scale development.

Having looked at the idea of development in a wider sense now, electricity being a driver of development, does seem to be contingent on the definition of development. Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Rural electrification is often considered to be the backbone of the rural economy.

According to sources, the electricity wires of the two villages were stolen ten years back and since then the locals have been suffering due to no electricity and no efficacious measures have been adopted to reinstate the power service despite repeated appeals to the authority of Assam Power Distribution Company Limited, Dhekiajuli. Due to laxity on the part of the authority, students are especially facing a lot of problems.

Local people further alleged that three months back, contractors of the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited collected Rs 500 from each family for distribution of power but they are yet to get any service. “We had urged the previous Congress MLA several times for taking necessary measures but all our requests yielded no results,” said the villagers.

The afflicted people of the two villages vehemently condemned the previous government for sheer sloppiness to pay attention to this grave issue and further urged the present government to show proper integrity and accountability by taking immediate measures to provide electricity in the two villages.