Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 20: A village in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district is without electricity from last 25 years with locals mostly making use of solar lights and oil lamps.
Locals of Glass Daji, the remote village in Hyhama area of the district, told Excelsior that the village is without electricity. They said that the Government has not made any effort to light up the village.
“Our village has no electricity. The legislators promised us that the village will be electrified but none of them kept their promise,” said Bashir Ahmad, a local. He said the village is facing multiple problems but the major one is of electricity.
“Even though the Government has given us solar plates but they are capable of only lighting one or two bulbs and that too only in summers and sunny weather. Otherwise we are dependent on oil lamps,” he said. Bashir said that the poor people of the village are the ultimate sufferers because those who are Government employees have installed several solar plates.
Shaheena Aziz, a student, said she has never seen electricity in village. “I am 20 year old and I have never seen electricity here. The students of this village face lot of difficulties because they can’t study after dusk due to darkness. The solar bulbs only lit when there is good sunshine during the day,” she said, adding “our elders including Sarpanch of this village approached Government including Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan several times but nothing has happened so far.”
Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Power Development Department, Kupwara, Riyaz Ahmad Jeelani, admitted that the Glass Daji village is without electricity. He, however, said that not only Glass Daji village but many other areas would be provided electricity under Deen Dayal Programme. “We have identified the villages that are without electricity including Glass Daji,” he told Excelsior.
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