Sans electricity for ages, residents of 74 villages reel under darkness in Rayagada

Rayagada: As many as 74 villages in Rayagada district yet to get the facility of electricity. These revenue villages still remain deprived of power supply.

The under-privileged residents of these villages often complain that with the development of science and technology and fast convergence of total digitisation things are becoming much easier with the inventions of new machineries and equipment. But the villages of our rural pockets yet to be facilitated with power supply said the dismayed residents.

As the government has stopped the supply of PDS kerosene, no lamps or lanterns are seen burning in houses. As a result, the residents are reeling under great trouble. As per the departmental information, 19 villages of Kalyansingpur block, 16 villages of Chandrapur, 12 villages of Muniguda, followed by 8 villages of Kasipur, similarly 8 villages of Kolonara, 4 villages of Rayagada, 7 villages of Bisamcuttack, and more than 20 Villages of Gunpur, Ramanguda and Padmapur blocks are sans of electricity except all villages of Gudari block.

Hundreds of such hamlets are there where supply remains disrupted after supply of few days only. Even villages where poles have been pegged and transformers installed but no availability electricity facilities woes the residents. The residents allegedly said that it all exists and persists due to the callousness of the officials. Numerous water supply projects are remained dysfunctional due to lack of electricity.

Since 2017, both central and state governments have emphasised and stressed on power supply to every villages. The Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana of central government and Biju Gram Jyoti Yojana of State government had implemented and followed by tours for assessment of the progress which have been stalled later by both the government authorities. Both the schemes have been stalled since 2023 due to lack of funds.

Rayagada Additional District Magistrate Bhaskar Raito said as the work is under progress, all the villages will soon be brought under the purview of power supply.