Bantwal: 67 years after Independence, these villagers still live in darkness


Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, Aug 15: India earned the status of an independent nation 67 years ago. We often keep claiming that our country is on the fast track to progress. But all these claims sound hollow when we come across villages not having electricity supply even now, at a time when the country is racing ahead in information technology and making earnest efforts to get recognized as a super power.

Parenki and Kukkala villages in Punjalakatte, belonging to the rural belt of Beltangady taluk located on its border with Bantwal taluk, have been languishing in darkness since ages. Most of the houses of both these villages get feeble light emanating out of kerosene lamps coupled with thick smoke. As such, hundreds of people living in these two places stand deprived of many facilities which come with electricity supply.

As per survey figures, 179 families living in Parenki and Kukkala villages within Madantyar gram panchayat limits, which are identified as below poverty line, live in pitch darkness every night. The villagers rue the fact that repeated applications submitted to government departments and officials to cover their houses under Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme have failed to evoke positive response from the concerned.

These families and their children cannot watch television, do not get cool air of fans, nor can they read comfortably under powerful lights.

It is surprising that families living in neighbouring villages have been covered under the above scheme, and they get electrical light. The villagers of these two villages are eagerly awaiting to get power connection, but there is no hope of their aspirations getting fulfilled in near future. We take pride in claiming to be a democratic republic, but the fact that grievances of citizens who are deprived of a basic facility are unheard by the political bosses happens to be one of the biggest tragedies of our times, one is forced to conclude.

One can understand the problems encountered by government departments in extending facilities to hamlets located in inaccessible places, places which are devoid of roads, and those who are situated amidst hilly terrain. But, both these villages do not suffer from any of these drawbacks. The villagers say they would have compromised with the situation if it was impossible to transport infrastructure and materials needed for providing electric supply to them. They fail to understand why the government, which claims to be enthusiastic towards addressing problems of rural folk, has been keeping them away from a facility which they rightfully deserve as per the government's own scheme.

The people of both the villages say that none of the government officials have visited their villages to lend a sympathetic ear to their grievances. They admit however, that people's representatives make a beeline to their places whenever an election approaches, and return after doling out promises in abundance. They want the local MLA and district in-charge minister to attend to their problems and take the officials concerned to task towards ensuring that the work of providing electricity supply is attended to with a sense of urgency at least now.

We often see slogans of the government appearing in media publications which claim that India is shining, Karnataka is moving on path to progress, concept of welfare state has been implemented in our villages, etc. But whether these slogans project true face of rural India, and whether problems of the people have been affectively addressed, can be assessed only when the people's representatives and officials visit these places and make a reality check.

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • Team Jogiv, Bangalore

    Sun, Nov 23 2014

    Hi, we would like to take up this project and light up all the houses with Solar LED lights. Please let us know.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • AUBB, Kuwait

    Sun, Aug 17 2014


    Will solar electricity resolve the issue of our fellow citizens of Bantwal...??

    DisAgree Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • kishore G.Shanbhogue, Mangalore

    Sun, Aug 17 2014

    Strange but true.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • Albert, Mangalore

    Sat, Aug 16 2014

    Local MLA and district in charge minister is busy snoring!!Though they don't have electricity, but have old chappals....which they can use when he comes next time to seek votes!

    DisAgree Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse

  • Nancy, Mangalore

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    What a spelling of Congress!!!!!!

    DisAgree [3] Agree [10] Reply Report Abuse

  • Naveen D'souza, Mangalore

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Good eye opener by Mount Esh and Daiji world. This is good chance for the people's representatives to answer. Let all the Oscars, M oily skin, Violets, Kateels, Poojary, Lobo as well as the social leaders sh to find out and answer. Eat laddoos and do not wipe the hand mirrors but find and give replies to the people whom you represent.

    DisAgree [4] Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vincent Rodrigues, katapadi/Bangalore

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Why can't we live on the good work the government has done since getting the independence.We need to be positive and live in hope.India is still not fully developed because we are a developing country.Let us stop thinking negative but live on hope.

    DisAgree [17] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rita, Germany

    Sat, Aug 16 2014

    @ Vincent katapady,with hopes we are living since 67years.and how Long should we now wait?you must be having the electric and modern fecilitys otherwise you would have not mentioned this.Most probably These People have not enough Money to warm up the officials or electric dept.That is the big Problem in India for the present.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Some of the latest census figures on the energy front come as a shocker for Gujarat that boasts of having surplus energy but has more than 12.18 lakh households without electricity supply. More than 1,21,000 houses, of which about 6,000 are in Ahmedabad alone, have no form of illumination.

    As against the national average of 0.5 per cent households having no electricity, Gujarat has one per cent households that live in total darkness at night. Several households still depend on kerosene and oil lamps ...

    DisAgree [19] Agree [39] Reply Report Abuse

  • sunil, dubai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Why are you changing the topic? If you can't defend your congress govt keep quite

    DisAgree [31] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Sunil, I am a Indian ...

    DisAgree [11] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • jeevan, mangalore

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    This is called dongi congi rule...

    DisAgree [30] Agree [21] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jamal, Mangalore/UAE

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Jeevan,
    Have some sympathy towards the deprived families. Why you bring politics in this. BJP was also in power for years and what happened? But you only like to blame Cong.

    DisAgree [6] Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • vellano1, mumbai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    can this be brought to Nalin Kumar Kateel's notice and he can push for "sansad adarsh gram" yojana announced by modi ji today? we wont be able to forgive ourselves, if our people living in darkness, guys! lets provide basic necessities for all ... raise above petty party politics!!

    DisAgree [1] Agree [33] Reply Report Abuse

  • Wilfred Tauro & Fly, Madanthyar, Dubai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Daijiworld, many thanks for publishing this fact in your site. It is quite surprising, in and around Madanthyar also basic electricity facilities were not given to the people.
    what our Madanthyar Mandala Panchayath Members, Taluk/Zilla panchayath members are doing ? why this type of negligence towards poor ? Why this issue was not taken care by our MLA VASANTHA BANGERA ? Somebody has to take a task of this elected people. Hope at last after 67years of Independence and Daijiworlds intervention GOVT/KSEB WILL GET UP FROM THEIR SLEEP,OPEN THEIR EYES and give this basic necessity to those deprived people of Parenky an Kukkala villages.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [22] Reply Report Abuse

  • venkataraman, udupi

    Sat, Aug 16 2014

    I feel these villages comes in the constituencies of Bantwal -under Ramanath Rai, still if it was brought under the knowledge of Belthangadi MLA Vasanth Bangera - surely he would have done some thing positive.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Ashok, Mumbai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    We heard from Red fort asking Indians to produce and export to the world. The same thing we are doing .We producing so much labour and export and get Remittances without investment..

    DisAgree [2] Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse

  • vinod, kudla

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    ramanath rai busy with ribbon cutting

    DisAgree [7] Agree [26] Reply Report Abuse

  • Francis Rego, Mangalore

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Congratulations to Daijiworld for publishing such an article!! I dont think these are the only villages with such dire conditions even after 67 years of our Independence. Better identify such places in other locality as well and bring-up the articles on each.

    DisAgree Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vasant Raj, Mangalore / Abudhabi

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    That is congress ruling.....

    DisAgree [16] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Harold D'cunha, Mangalore, India

    Sat, Aug 16 2014

    Raj
    Why blame Congress. Why not the society and local elected people like Gram Panchayat, Zilla Panchayat, Municipality etc etc.

    Why can't u accept the fact that the majority people are corrupt, no desire to serve honestly the society, selfish to the core.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • PEDDU, MANGALURU

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    ITS NOT A GIFT FROM ANY OF THE PARTY !! THE CITIZEN SHOULD LEARN TO UNDERSTAND THEIR BASIC RIGHTS !!

    DisAgree [2] Agree [23] Reply Report Abuse

  • Lingappa, Kuppepadavu/Amsterdam

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    The 'good for nothing' Ramanatha Rai of the Khangress has to answer this. who has apparently visits this place only during election time.

    DisAgree [14] Agree [10] Reply Report Abuse

  • Santan Mascarenhas, Kinnigoli/Mumbai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014


    Got freedom at mid-night
    waited 67 years to end the night
    Lived in pitch darkness all night
    But there is no dawn, nor the light

    I will like the light
    For it shows me the way
    Yet, I will endure the darkness
    For it shows me the stars

    Nobody lit us the candle
    Only darkness is our candle
    Does not leave us the darkness
    Since our govt is in the darkness.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rudolf, Mumbai

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Who bothers for the poor and downtrodden when even the educated and well aware are ignored and justice not meted out to the various issues concerning the common man when brought to the notice of the concerned authorities due to 'obvious reasons'!!

    DisAgree Agree [10] Reply Report Abuse

  • DINESH SHETTY, PADUBIDRI/DUBAI

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    This is the gift of our Cong.party
    who ruled our state and our country.

    DisAgree [13] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Amin Bhoja, Patte / Riyadh

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Maybe Planning commission added these areas towards 13th five year plan!!!.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [20] Reply Report Abuse

  • Allen, Mangalore

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Blessings of our great Congress party!!

    DisAgree [16] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse

  • SMP_09, Udupi

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    How is that related to our independence?

    DisAgree [22] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Achhu, M'lore/KSA

    Fri, Aug 15 2014

    Ramanatha Rai what have you done? Your end name Natha best suits you.

    DisAgree [8] Agree [38] Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: Bantwal: 67 years after Independence, these villagers still live in darkness



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.