Nabarangpur: As many as 315 villages in this district are yet to be connected with power supply due to sheer negligence of the Energy department and power distribution companies. This is the sad state of affairs in this tribal dominated district even after 73 years of independence and this has come at a time when the Centre and state governments are spending a lot to make power supply available to every household. As a result, residents in these 315 villages are spending their lives in darkness, deprived of even basic amenities.
Lack of power supply in these remote and underdeveloped areas of the district paints a sorry picture of government and departmental apathy. Reports said that the Chief Minister had directed the administrative and people’s representatives to ensure that all the plans and programmes of the government should be for the benefit of the people. However, a basic need such as power supply is yet to be made available for 315 villages out of the district’s 891 villages.
The district has witnessed the implementation of three power supply schemes like Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yojana of the previous UPA government, state sponsored Biju Grama Jyoti Yojana and Saubhagya Yojana after BJP-led NDA government came to power. The phase one of the Saubhagya Yojana has concluded and the phase 2 started.
However, these villages are yet to receive power supply to their households. Residents attributed the failure in proper implementation of the scheme to the serial handover of the power department to the private firms.
All revenue villages are being electrified while the hamlets are getting deprived, they lamented. When contacted, a senior power official said that the 315 hamlets which are yet to be electrified due to various reasons will soon be included under Biju Grama Jyoti Yojana and Saubhagya Yojana phase -2.
Moreover, the state government has engaged Odisha Renewable Energy Development Authority (OREDA) to supply power through solar channels to those villages where commuting is not a problem. The state government has informed in writing to the zilla parishad May 4 and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), he said. However, it remains to be seen when these villages are being connected with power supply