Scores of villages in Palamu district of Jharkhand have not had electricity for over a decade as Maoists have not allowed the authorities to extend power connection to the area. The Superintendent of Police of Palamu district, Narendra Kumar Singh, said here yesterday that he would take up this issue with the electricity department and if required provide security for the workers engaged in installation and maintenance. Narendra Kumar Singh said: “It”s a very serious matter because lack of electricity will create a hindrance in the growth of that area; the children there will not be able to study properly and apart from all this due to lack of electricity there will be a problem in carrying forward the irrigation process which is a mode of earning the livelihood. In this regard we will try to talk to the Electricity Department and if required we will provide more security also in this area.” According to the villagers, the poles were erected and the power lines were energised but these were snapped by the Maoists. Apart from Palamu, many villages in three other districts — Latehar, Garhwa and Chatra –are also facing similar problems. There are around 3000 villages in these districts. Under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (Scheme for Rural Electricity Infrastructure and Household Electrification) three billion rupees were granted to the government of Jharkhand to implement electrification of the villages. But less than 2.5 billion rupees have been spent . Electric poles have been lying idle on the roadside and a good number of these are in a damaged state. The villagers have been forced to rely on kerosene oil lamps and children study under the flickering light of these lamps. The farmers in the area have not been able to irrigate their lands by operating the electric pumps. Devender, a tribal leader of Palamu district, said that in many villages in Palamu district the electricity connections were energized but these were snapped by the Maoists and development work has come to a standstill. He said the authorities have not taken any initiative to address these issues. ” Till date whichever government has been formed in Jharkhand none have worked for the villages,” said Devender. (ANI)
