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.