Abhishek Kumar Dash is a Community Correspondent from Nuapada district, Odisha. His dream was to become an engineer. Though he enrolled in a B.Sc. program, he was forced to drop out halfway through, as his family faced dire financial circumstances. He then started and gave up a successful business, to become a social activist because he felt the need for…

Abhishek Dash

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Having no electricity in the 21^st century is unthinkable to most of us.  However this is the reality for 150 families from Mahagaon village who had been promised electricity for the past 1.5 years.  They are still waiting.  Having complained to the relevant officials the only reply the have received is to be patient and that this is normal in Odisha.  I don’t know about you, but my patience would have gone after one week.  It is shameful and ridiculous that these families have had to wait for 1.5 years.  The authorities need your call, to shake them to action.

Call to Action:

Mr Basant Kumar Behera, Site Residential Manager of NTPC, Nuapada district, Odisha, Tel: +916678221289.

VV-Correspondent Abhishek Kumar Das reports from Mahagaon village, Nuapada district, Odisha where over 150 Below Poverty Line (BPL) families have been denied electricity for the past 1.5 years.  The Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), ascheme, which provides free electrical connection, was the mechanism through which electricity was to be provided.

If we look at the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY)website we find a section which talks about the monitoring and accountability aspect of the project.  It states that an inter-Ministerial Monitoring Committee has been set up to review progress of implementation.  The website also states that contractors and implementing agencies are monitored.  However as we can see from Mahagaon village the reality is far from this. 

Rameswar a resident explains, “They have wired the house and have set up switch boards.  It has been one and half years but they have not yet supplied electricity.”

Up to date information we have received from our Correspondent Abhishek is that the project was started in December 2012, however due to unaccountability the project was not completed.  Residents have complained to the electrical department, contractor and NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited)office without success.  Residents feel helpless as they neither have any acknowledgement proof to show that visited the office nor any concrete answer is given to them about what will happen next.

Abhishek has been helping in this regard, educating the residents on the procedures to go through to get their electricity.  He has been guiding them, to raise empowerment in themselves.  He believes that as the issue is fromtheir village, though he will support them,the campaign should come from them.  This will empower them and make sure change is sustainable.   He wants you to call the number above to assist them in this task.

In the past your support helped VV-PACS Correspondent Shabnam Begumto bring electricity to the residents of Jagdishpur village, in Uttar Pradesh.  She believes, “This camera is a very powerful tool for change.”Thus you can create positive change by calling the number above. 

Watch more videos about residents with no access to electricity here.

Written by Manjinder Singh Sidhu