Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Sept 13: Bardih village near the Jharkhand-West Bengal border, has been grappling with power pangs since three weeks without any panacea in sight. The only power transformer in Bardih was literally crippled after being struck by lightning but no effort had been made by the power department to either repair or replace it.
Desperate villagers had put in a written complaint with the Executive Engineer of the Jharkhand Bidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) urging for a replacement of the transformer or its repair but their fate remains in darkness.
Bearing the brunt of this pathetic and torturous ‘powerless’ situation are the students studying at Jhanti Jharna Higher Secondary School whose studies are being hampered.
Heat and humid conditions are adding to the woes of Bardih villagers who are sensing the worst side of hell. The darkness of night brings in a looming fear of snakebites as these reptiles have been spotted of late in colonies. Furious students staged a protest against the village head. Mukhiya Pushpa Singh explained, “20 days ago, a 16 KVA transformer in Bardih village had been completely destroyed by a lightning strike. Since then, the entire village and surrounding areas have been bereft of electricity supply, plunging the localities in darkness.”
After loads of pleas and protests, the JBVNL authorities concerned have assured of getting the transformer repaired at the earliest. Meanwhile, the Bardih villagers continue to keep their aching fingers crossed.