Even as vigorous efforts are under way to make Telangana a power surplus State soon, around 17 tribal habitations in the State’s predominantly tribal-populated district continue to grope in the dark for want of electricity.
Most of these tribal habitations are situated in the desolate areas of Bhadrachalam Agency area. These remote habitations were declared as unviable for provision of grid-based electricity in the conventional mode several years ago. Thus, off-grid renewable energy mode has become the only option to electrify these tribal habitations.
However, these remote habitations continue to remain un-electrified due to inordinate delay on the part of the government agencies concerned in harnessing off-grid renewable energy-based systems like solar photo-voltaic technology to electrify these hamlets.
These un-electrified habitations are spread in the far-flung areas of Charla, Tekulapalli, Gundala, Burgampadu, Mulkalapalli and a few other mandals, sources said.
Apart from these, a few other hamlets exclusively inhabited by migrant adivasis of Gutti Koya community hailing from the strife-torn parts of the neighbouring Chhattisgarh, are also craving for electricity.
No power for 10 years
Around 50 adivasi families have been living at Srirampuram hamlet under Sarapaka gram panchayat in Burgampadu mandal without electricity for the past ten years, alleged Sonde Veeraiah, State convenor, the Gondwana Samkshema Parishath.
They have ration cards and Aadhaar cards but they don’t have access to electricity, he deplored, demanding that the Integrated Tribal Development Agency, Bhadrachalam, ensure provision of electricity to the hapless tribals by tapping the solar PV technology.
“Several tribal habitations in the forest fringe areas in the tribal sub-plan mandals like Charla in Bhadrachalam Agency area are still deprived of electricity due to the apathy of the agencies concerned,” said Mr. Veeraiah.
“It is unfair to deprive adivasis of electricity citing technical and procedural wrangles,” he flayed.
Solar power
When contacted, ITDA Assistant Project Officer (Power) Anuradha said that proposals for electrifying 17 un-electrified habitations in the district using solar energy were sent to the department concerned.
On the memorandum submitted by migrant adivasis of Srirampuram habitation in the forest fringe area of Burgampadu mandal for supply of electricity, she said that the matter was referred to the mandal Revenue officials to ascertain the exact status of the habitation.
