Jajpur/Korei: As many as 50 families at tribal dominated Gourapal village under Korei block in Jajpur district continue to reel under darkness after the lone BPL transformer in the village broke down two years back. School going children in the village have been forced to study in the light of kerosene lamps in the absence of power supply. Residents alleged that various electrification schemes of the state government and Centre are yet to supply their village with electricity due to weak leadership and appeasement policy of political representatives. Elections are being held every five years but the fate of the village has remained unchanged, the villagers lamented.
Sources said that the village in Pacchikote panchayat of Korei block is situated on the fringes of neighbouring Keonjhar district. It consists of 125 tribal families and 90 per cent of the villagers earn their living by working as casual labourers. It is alleged that the district administration, which is implementing various developmental works in other parts of the district, has been neglecting this village. The state government and Centre are implementing various projects to include Scheduled Tribe members in the mainstream but all those schemes have remained inaccessible for the villagers of this tribal village. Sources said despite passage of two years after the transformer went defunct, members of over 40 families in the village continue to reel under darkness and live a life of drudgery and obscurity. Sources said, as many as 50 BPL households had been connected with power supply under Kutir Jyoti Yojana while the rest of the villagers got power supply only after they pooled money for installation of personal transformers.
However, as ill fate would have it, the BPL transformer allegedly became defunct soon due to a short circuit. The villagers visited the electricity office at Jajpur Road several times and requested the officials to install a new transformer and reconnect their houses with power supply. However, the power officials turned them away asking them to first settle the outstanding dues which run into some lakhs before a transformer could be installed. Villagers have questioned that the Kutir Jyoti Yojana is meant for whom. Even as two years have passed, the 50 households are yet to get power supply. The kerosene lamp is the only saviour for them as they continue to reel under darkness all round the year. Moreover, the rest of the 70 families are living sans electricity for the last five days as power supply has been disconnected from their houses over pending dues, villagers alleged.
As a result, the whole village gets enveloped in darkness as evening descends. The villagers feel the pinch as temperatures have increased with the summer knocking on the door. The students appearing for the HSC examination are the worst sufferers. They study under kerosene lamps inhaling toxic smoke emanating from the lamps putting their health at risk. When contacted, junior engineer Sanjay Kumar Biswal of Power department said that power supply has been cut off to the village due to the outstanding dues of the villagers. The power supply will be restored only after payment of electricity dues, he said.
