Banjar SDM donates uniforms to schoolchildren in remote Shaakti

Kullu, August 24

Banjar SDM Pankaj Sharma recently provided uniforms to 30 schoolchildren of Shaakti primary and middle schools from his personal funds. The SDM said he had “adopted” the remote Shaakti, Maror and Shugad villages so that the gap between modern amenities and the villages could be reduced. “The villages do not have electricity and are not connected by road. The infrastructure would be developed to facilitate the villagers,” he added.

In April, the SDM had visited the villages and taken stock of the issues faced by the villagers. Villagers and teachers apprised him about the condition of the school and requested him to make available good quality uniforms for the schoolchildren.

The SDM handed over kits, which included two uniforms for each student, to the teachers at the subdivision-level celebrations of Independence Day. Mahesh, a Sainj resident, said the officer had set an example by “adopting” the remote villages and making efforts to develop basic amenities in the area.

Gadaparli panchayat president Yamuna Devi said the people of the area were thankful to the officer for his visit and had high hopes from the administration and the government.

After the villagers had announced their boycott of the Lok Sabha elections due to “failure” of successive governments to develop basic infrastructure in the area, the SDM visited the villages and motivated 96 voters, including 46 women, to participate in the electoral process.

In the three villages, there are about 54 houses and 250 persons. The remote Shaakti village, in the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can only be reached after a strenuous seven-hour trek through a risky route from the nearest motorable area at Niharni, which is 18 km from Maror, 14 km from Shaakti and 12 km from Shugad on foot.

There is a school at Shaakti up to Class VIII, and the nearest dispensary is 20 km from the village, at Bah.

Efforts are being made to ensure electricity and road connectivity at these villages, but not much has materialised so far as the villages fall under the protected GHNP region. However, the villagers have been provided with solar lights by various NGOs, and the government.

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) had given approval for laying a 12.6 km 11 kV HT transmission line for these villages in March 2022, but the work is hanging fire due to technical glitches.