71 years after Independence, this Indian village still reels under darkness

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71 years after Independence, this Indian village still reels under darkness

The village has been ignored by all the previous regimes and is politically orphan since 1947

Monday December 31, 2018 11:36 AM, Nasir Khuehami

[Image for representation purpose only.]

Bandipora (Kashmir): While Deen Dayal Yojana, the government scheme launched to provide continuous power supply to rural areas, Wevan - a small village in Bandipora District of Northern Kashmir, is still stuck in dark ages.

Wevan, a small village on the foothills of a rocky hill in Bandipora district, of North Kashmir is without electricity even though it is 71 years since India got Independence. People of Wevan area have been facing immense hardships as the area has been ignored by all the previous regimes and has become politically orphan since 1947.

Due to the apathy of successive governments, they are forced to live in the dark in the digital age. Local residents said that, our repeated pleas to the government have fell on deaf ears. The poor in this village use lighted wood sticks and candles to do household work.

"We also use lanterns, said Ghulam Mohammad", a local resident. "Many people go to nearby areas where there is electricity to charge their mobile phones and battery-powered lights".

A local student said, since his birth, he has not seen electricity in his village.

"I want to become an engineer, but I don’t think it’s easy to crack the Entrance Exam when you have to study holding a candle or lighted wood stick in one hand", he said.

"If not electricity, kindly provide us with free solar panels. We are poor, can’t afford to buy a single solar panel", he added.

Local residents of Wevan said that, transmission poles and transformers were installed in the village under Deen Dyal Scheme, but the people living in the village are still have no electricity. "Our area is still reeling under darkness", they said.

Locals said that, despite repeated assurance by the administration, the government has failed to provide electricity in the village. They said that they have been running from pillar to post to get the electricity, but to no avail.

Residents of Wevan said that, no effort has been made to electrify the village.

"We are living without electricity even 71 years after India’s Independence and there has been no progress on the ground despite repeated assurances given to them by local leaders. Successive Govt’s and leaders make misleading and false promises to take our votes", they moaned.

"Our children struggle to study under the lamps", said Mohd Iqbal, another local resident, while listing the various problems that plague the dark village, he reveals that many children have dropped out of school.

The residents of the village have appealed to the administration and Govt to solve the situation, but fake assurances are all they got in return. "We have been appealing to the officials and leaders multiple times. But all they say is ‘We will soon resolve your problems.’ But till now, no lights have been lit here", they said.

"While a major section of our society talk about digital world there is a part of our state that reels under the darkness. Facing electricity shortage is one thing, however; Wevan area of Bandipora is so unfortunate that it is still hankering for electrification", Bhat Humaira, a University student says. "India got independence seven decades before, but our state of affairs are so far primeval, nothing has changed for us."

Pertinently Deen Dayal scheme was launched, designed to provide continuous power supply to rural areas, but even after three years of its launch, this scheme remained a non-starter. When Contacted Exn Power Development Department Ghulam Qadir, said we are working on it and the area will be electrified soon.

He said work is complete and they will get electricity in a day or two. "Wevan residents should have come to meet him, if they had some problem. If they had come to my office, I would have solved this problem long before. I m getting first time this messege, that they are without electrity. They will get electricity soon", he said.

[Nasir Khuehami is Freelancer Journalist based in Kashmir and can be mailed at Khuehamiayaan@gmail.com.]

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