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Rajouri villages yet to be electrified
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, May 12
People living in the cities may get furious over the erratic poor supply, but what about those people living in villages which are yet to be electrified. As the government fails to provide power to their villages even after more than six decades of the Independence, more than 40,000 people living in seven villages and 916 mohras (hamlets) are wondering whether they will ever be able to see electricity in their houses.

As per a government document, a copy of which was assessed by The Tribune, there are about five villages and more than 850 mohras/hamlets in the district which are non-electrified. It further points out that the electrification of these villages/hamlets will be done under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyut Yojna (RGGVY) and completed in three years from the sanctioning of the scheme, which was formulated in 2004-05.

Sources in the state government divulged that even as maintenance and rural electrification (M&RE), Rajouri division, of the power development department (PDD) had formulated the scheme for the electrification of these villages and hamlets in this border district, but the government after getting funds from Rural Electrification Corporation, gave the project to the Power Development Corporation (PDC) for execution.

They added that the PDC had failed to finalise the contractors even as they had floated tenders about 12 times. Sources further said that one of the main reasons for the failure of the PDC to finalise the contractors for the scheme might be the escalation of cost of the contract as the scheme was formulated about four years back and that cost might not suit the contractors, resulting in poor response to the schemes.

Meanwhile, resentment among villagers is mounting with each passing day. “For the past 75 years, I have been hearing that our village will be electrified shortly, but till today we have no electricity,” said Muhammad Bashir, a resident of a un-electrified village.

A senior officer of the M&RE division confirmed the number of un-electrified villages and hamlets. He added that the state government had given the work of electrification of these villages to the PDC for execution.

Executive engineer, PDC, Jammu, Chaman Lal said three contractors had shown their interest in the work. However, he added, whether they (contractors) qualify for the work or not would be decided by a committee which would soon be constituted for the examination of the tenders.