Residents of Manki village, barely 10 kilometres from “diamond city” Panna in Madhya Pradesh, saw a bulb switch on for the first time in March this year. Sixty-nine years after India achieved Independence, electricity had finally reached the village. But their excitement was short-lived. In less than four days, the village plunged into darkness. Two months later, power returned on May 29, but again stayed for hardly two days. Since then, Manki—where 95 per cent of the households are connected to the electrical grid— has been forced to go back to using kerosene lamps for lighting.
An electrified village is one where all public places, such as schools, health centres and panchayat offices, and 10 per cent of all households are connected to the grid, according to a revision in the definition given in the Electricity Act, 2003. Manki is considered officially electrified, but the anganwadi and secondary school are yet to get a connection, says Suresh Kumar Gond, sarpanch of the village.
Efforts to connect villages in Panna—a rough terrain in terms of connectivity due to dense forests—are visible. Workers can be seen installing poles and transformers in remote areas. But availability of electricity remains a major issue.
All villages that have been electrified recently are home to backward and tribal populations who are not able to follow up with the electricity department in case of problems. In Gujar village, almost 50 per cent of the households were not getting electricity for 15 days when Down To Earth visited in June. Despite informing officials, their issues had not been addressed.
In the south of Panna, Mahuadol and Gurji were in the process of being electrified with electricians working to connect households to the grid. Both the villages have been adopted by the Reliance Foundation under a Corporate Social Responsibility programme and have been getting electricity from solar power for the past two years. In the two villages, neither the schools nor the anganwadi were getting electricity from the grid, but the government lists both the villages as electrified. Devendra Gond, a 27-year-old villager, says, “My house was connected with the grid a month ago, but we are still waiting for electricity.”
Electricity has eluded Tijola Gond's house in Rahunia village. He was denied an electricity connection because he failed to provide a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card. Gond says officials ask residents like him to shell out Rs 2,500 if they want a connection. The amount may not seem very high, but for tribals who have been facing a drought for the past five years, every paisa counts. "In this drought, arranging meals for the family is a challenge. How will we arrange money for electricity?" he asks. Ten per cent of households in every village that Down To Earth visited had not been connected to the grid because of the residents’ inability to provide BPL cards. People complain that getting a BPL card made depends on many factors such as relations with the sarpanch. Devi Singh from Gujar, who has neither a BPL card nor the money for an electricity connection, says, “People who have land and tractors can get the card made easily, but poor people like us cannot.”
In a few cases, it was difficult to pinpoint the reason behind the lack of electricity connections. For instance, Shakuntala Bai of Mahuadol village does not have a connection despite having a BPL card. She says, “The electrician assured me saying he would come to connect my house ‘tomorrow’. But the tomorrow never arrived.”
In unelectrified villages, residents are still struggling to get basic services. In Galidara village, which is 12 km from the main road, the hope for electricity is renewed before every election. “Electricity can change the fate of the village,” says resident Suraj Prasad Pandey. “Politicians promise to bring electricity every time there’s an election. But nothing happens once the election is over.”
In Katahari Bilhata, electric poles were installed around 25 years ago and there was electricity for a couple of days. Since then, village residents are still waiting. They have to walk downhill for two kilometres every time they have to fetch drinking water. Ram Pyare Gond, a 35-year-old tribal, says, “If there had been electricity, at least fetching water would have been an easy task.” These villages still rely on firewood for cooking and kerosene for light, he says. Gauri Singh, a 50-year-old farmer from Panari, says, “These days, even the forest department questions us when we enter the forest for firewood. They are not as strict with women, so they go to collect firewood instead.”
Sanjeev Kumar Gond from Manki is a commerce student who studies in Panna. He says the lack of electricity does not motivate students to study as it is difficult to read and write in the light of kerosene lanterns. “When electric poles were erected, everyone had hoped that things would change for the better. But nothing has happened,” he says.
Panna district, Madhya Pradesh | ||||
Villages |
Official status |
Actual status |
Electricity supply |
Quality of supply |
Gujar |
Electrified (20/11/2015) |
90% of households in March 2015 |
12 hours a day |
Good supply for around 30 of 50 households; residents still dependent on wood for cooking and kerosene for lighting needs |
Gurji |
Electrified (26/04/2016) |
0% of households |
No supply |
30 households have been connected, while 22-23 are yet to be connected; residents use solar power provided by Reliance Foundation |
Manki |
Electrified (10/02/2016) |
95% of households in May 2016 |
No supply |
Since electrification, the village has gotten barely 48 hours of electricity; dependent on wood for cooking and kerosene for lighting needs |
Galidara |
Unelectrified |
|
|
Rely on firewood for cooking and kerosene for lighting |
Katahari Dilhata |
Unelectrified |
|
|
Rely on firewood for cooking and kerosene for lighting |
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