Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s dream of providing power to every household by 2015 faces a stiff challenge in Jamui, where many villages languish in the dark, literally.
According to sources, during the first phase of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme in 2011, of 1,527 villages, work was completed in 1,355 while 172 were untouched. “We don’t know whether electricity will ever come to our homes or not,” said Bhusan Yadav (67) of Kathawar hamlet under Sono block of the district.
Admitting lapses, the executive engineer of the electricity board, Jamui circle, R. Sharma, said electrification in 172 villages would be completed in the second phase of the rural electrification scheme. “We have set ourselves a target of completing the electrification project by 2014. We hope to provide power to every village in the district by then,” he said.
On the reason why some villages were left out of the electrification scheme, Sharma declined to comment.
Another official of the board said the scheme was yet to be started in some villages owing to Maoists . “In 20 villages of Jhajha block, 15 of Lakshmipur, 35 of Sono and 67 in Chakai, we could not complete the work, as the villages fall in the Red belt and these places are inaccessible,” he added.
However, a report of the district statistical department claimed that only 67 out of 600 villages in Chakai block don’t have power supply after the electrification scheme. Apart from Gidhur block, where there is power in all 20 villages, 10 villages under Jamui Sadar block are yet to yet to see any electric poles.
Agriculture minister Narendra Singh, who hails from Jamui Sadar block and building construction minister Damodar Raut who is from Gidhur block, blame the state electricity board officials for their alleged step motherly attitude towards the district.
However, Jamui has been selected under the Centre’s special action plan owing to increased Naxalite activities. Under the project, different public welfare projects are already in the pipeline. But electricity is not one of these.
For residents, it’s a tough call between which is worst — the Maoist menace or the perennial lack of power.
