Numerous residents in many villages of Shahpur block in Dindori district have been served electricity bills although there is no power supply in the villages. Although poles have been erected, power lines are yet to reach the houses.
Giving lie to State government's claims of providing 24-hour power supply, Dindori district has only electric poles to boast about. Transmission wires are conspicuously missing.
Shahpur constituency legislator Gangabai Uraiti told The Pioneer that electricity poles were erected in Doura village of Dindori nearly four years ago, but the wait of its residents for electricity continues till this day as electricity lines have not been laid.
Similar is the situation in nearby Amkera village. Manik lal, a resident of the village said that electricity poles were supplied in Amkera and Dhoura in 2009-10. "The poles were erected nearly four years ago. However, after this nothing happened. The electricity wires are yet to be installed and there is no power in these villages as yet," Maniklal said.
The two villages come under Shapur block of Dindori district. They are inhabited mostly by poor tribal families belonging to Baiga, Gond and Jharia tribal groups. Maniklal said that nearly 250 tribal families live in the village with a combined population of nearly 1,200.
Maniklal further said that the villagers had raised the issue at a public hearing at Dindori Collector's office last year. "In March last year, we brought this to the notice of the then Collector who assured us that action would be taken soon. We also raised the issue when the Collector visited the area in December 2012, but to no avail," he said.
Sumitra Thakur, project in-charge of Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme in the block, said the electricity poles were not erected but merely left on the site at these villages by the contractor.
"It is possible that the villagers have put up a few poles. And, it is wrong to say that the poles were sent in 2009-10. The truth is that tender was passed in 2010 and work started in January 2011. The delay is mainly on the part of the contractors," he said.
Interestingly, when the Dindori Collector was contacted, he sought details of the matter and said he would get it checked and see what could be done.
Notably, according to a study conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Planning Commission in 2011, nearly 5,000 villages in the State do not have power supply and in 3,000 others, less than 10 per cent of households have access to power.