Electricity restored in Chhattisgarh village 20 years after Naxalites cut power
In Naxal-affected Sukma district, 142 villages still have no electricity. A government official says they plan to fix this soon.
4 min read
The security forces are in the process of bringing electricity to 10 more villages and intend to finish the work in the next four to five months. (Express photo) A remote village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district finally got back its electricity connection this week, two decades after it was stripped off due to Naxal activities. Home to around 600 people, Kunded village falls in the Konta development block where 142 villages are languishing without electricity, solely dependent on solar lights.
“Two decades ago, Naxals had destroyed the existing electricity supply network, cut wires and broke poles, forcing villagers to live in darkness away from development. The villagers are happy now and expressed that their children will now study and will be connected to the entire world with television and mobile phones,” Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said.
After the camp was set up, the number of people using mobile phones in the area increased but the mobile network is still weak. (Express photo)
Konta forms the southern end of Sukma district bordering the states of Odisha and Telangana. Minister Kawasi Lakhma, 70, is a five-time MLA from here. Over 60 per cent of Sukma is still seen as an area affected by Naxalism and security forces consider it and neighbouring Bijapur district as a war zone.
Security forces had to set up a police camp in Kunded, 110 km from the city area of Sukma, to free the area of Naxals before going ahead with restoring the electricity line in the village. Kunded is around 10 km away from Puvarti village and falls under the jurisdiction of Jagargunda police station. Puvarti is the birthplace of Maoist leader Hidma, who has been linked to violent attacks that have led to the deaths of several jawans. Hidma and his People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion 1 are also said to be hiding in an area which is 18 to 20 km away from Kunded.
Before 2000, Kunded village, with a literacy rate of just 9 per cent, had a road and a bus stop. Later, the roads were damaged and all communication mediums were cut off. It was only three months ago that a public distribution system (PDS) centre was set up for villagers. The process of rebuilding the road has started, and in five to six months, the government intends to restore bus services to Kunded.
Security forces had to set up a police camp in Kunded, 110 km from the city area of Sukma, to free the area of Naxals before going ahead with restoring the electricity line in the village. (Express photo)
“A security camp was set up in Kunded on December 18 last year to counter Naxal activity. After 10 months, we have been able to free the village of Naxal activities and built trust among villagers and informed them about how Naxal propaganda has affected development work of providing roads, education, health and electricity,” SP Chavan said.
After the camp was set up, the number of people using mobile phones in the area increased but the mobile network is still weak. The government plans to install a mobile tower in two to three months.
The security forces are also in the process of bringing electricity to 10 more villages and intend to finish the work in the next four to five months. The aim is to provide electricity in all 142 villages.
“For the remaining villages, we have a two-pronged strategy. First, ensuring a sense of security in villagers by establishing security camps, then building trust among them towards the government. Once we do that, we will make roads, and electricity will follow. Within two years, most of the villages will get electrified,” a government official said.
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