The Centre launched the Saubhagya Yojana to provide electricity connections to all non-electrified households in rural and urban areas. But the scheme has failed to attain its objective in Subarnapur district.
Kutsira village under Kari gram panchayat in Subarnapur district is a prime example of the scheme’s failure. Power meters were installed in the houses of consumers in the village some months ago. But electricity connection has not been provided yet.
Bhagyasini Guru, a window of the area, said, “Many people of our area had applied for electricity connection under Saubhagya Yojana a year ago. Although meters were installed at our homes, we have not got electricity connection.”
Fed up with the development, many people drew a service cable from their neighbour’s house to their premises and started tapping electricity.
Many such cases are being reported from many villages of Tarbha block. Although meters have been installed, people here have not got electricity connections. If this is the state of affairs in a village near the district headquarters, then it is not difficult to guess the situation in far flung rural pockets, said social activist Dillip Kumar Patra.
Although Wesco claims it has provided electricity connections to all households,the non-electrified houses in Tarbha and Binka blocks have put a big question mark over the agency’s claims. Locals have demanded immediate intervention of senior officers of Wesco.