Xavier Hamsay’s father was a local tribal leader who lost his life because of the central role he played in his tribal community’s struggle for rights and recognition. Xavier says that he inherited the torch of the struggle the day his father passed away. He remains an inspired independent champion of human rights, going from village to village, listening to…

Xavier Hamsay

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As the sun sets on the horizon, darkness literally falls in the lives of families residing in a small hamlet of Dumburu of Bangaon block in Jharkhand. The village had a brief experience of electrified homes in early 2013. But it was pushed back into darkness again within six months when the 10 kV transformer broke down in June 2013. Since then the children are forced to study under kerosene lamps, and the families eat their meals in darkness. It has been more than three years but the villagers are still waiting for the light to come back into their lives.

The various attempts of the villagers to approach the officials through all the administrative channels have proven meaningless till now. "We had gone with a written application about the bust transformer to the Electricity Department Office in September 2013, who said that they will provide us 25 KV transformer if we submit a written application from an MLA who would extend his funds for the repair," tells Budhwa Munda, a resident of the village to Video Volunteers Jharkhand correspondent Xavier Hamsay. Hopeful that they will get electricity, the residents even procured a written letter from MLA Laxman Gilua, Singhbhum, Jharkhand and submitted the same in early 2014. As a response to the letter, the Electricity department sent a 25 KV transformer to the village without any technical team or transmission wires, as if the villagers themselves can set up a transformer and get the transformer running. The transformer has corroded lying in the shed as the Electricity Department has been unresponsive since then. "Laxman Gilua, the MLA who had originally requested restoration of electricity in Dumbara had written a letter again in March 2015. But as of 2016, the department has not taken any action," says Hamsay.

Take Action to help light up the village of Dumburu. Call the Jharkhand State Electricity Board Executive Engineer Rajendra Prasad Sharma on +91-9431135941, inform him about the ground reality and ask him to provide a new transformer to restore electricity in the village.

This video was made by a Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Xavier Hamsay.

Hard Fact:

In Jharkhand, 67% rural households have electricity, as opposed to the official figures claim that 93% villages have been electrified.

Community Correspondents come from marginalised communities in India and produce videos on unreported stories. These stories are ’news by those who live it.’ They give the hyperlocal context to global human rights and development challenges.

See more such videos at www.videovolunteers.org. Take action for a juster global media by sharing their videos and joining in their call for change.