Villagers migrate due to lack of basic amenities

BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, March 31

The continuous shortage of water, electricity and LPG cylinders has forced people to migrate from hill villages in the Kumaon region to places having basic facilities. Residents of Manila and Hawalbag in Almora and Naukori in Kapkot subdivision are still facing the shortage of basic amenities.

In Basi Simar village cluster of the Salt block in Almora district, several villages are facing the problem of low voltage for the last four years as the electricity substation built on the land donated by villagers has not been working properly.

“We had thought that by donating land for the electricity substation the problem of low voltage would be resolved but we got no relief. We continue to face low voltage. The Jal Sansthan gives the same excuse of old electricity line responsible for low voltage. It says till the power distribution line is changed the low voltage problem cannot be resolved,” said Pushpa Devi, gram pradhan of Basi Simar village.

“We have sent a proposal in this regard to the government. If we get a budget for the new line, we will be able to resolve the low voltage problem,” said Umakant Chaturvedi , sub-divisional engineer of the Masi electric subdivision.

Residents of several villages in the Hawalbagh block of Almora district are facing the same problems. They have threatened that if over 300 LPG consumers are not supplied cylinders in one month, they will start an agitation against the authorities concerned. “We are waiting for the LPG cylinder supply every day for the last four months. It is becoming difficult for villagers to cook food for their families as we neither have kerosene oil nor fuel wood,” said Kishan Singh, a resident of Bhanargaon.

The residents of Naukori village in Kapkot subdivison of Bageshwar district today reached the district headquarters and submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding supply of drinking water to over 300 families. “The drinking water scheme constructed by the Jal Sansthan in 1981 was damaged last year but the department did not repair it, resulting in disruption in water supply to these villages. In the absence of clean piped water, we are compelled to drink polluted water from open sources,” said Durga Singh Koranga, gram pradhan of Naukoti village, who led the delegation.