| 26198 people in 523 hamlets benefit from project along Sino-Indian, Indo-Myanmar border | ||
| ATONU CHOUDHURRI | ||
Itanagar, May 11: Decades of darkness has given way to light, illuminating the hopes and homes of thousands living in the remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh along the Sino-Indian and Indo-Myanmar border. “Our long wait for electricity is over. It is like a dream come true. It is a journey from darkness to light for us as our homes have finally been illuminated,” Sherab Choedon, a villager of Monigong in West Siang district, said. The realisation of the dream has been made possible by a Rs 9-crore project, which was funded by the ministry of new and renewable energy under the scheme, Illumination of Remote Border Villages through Solar Under Prime Minister’s Package, and completed by the Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency recently. The project has helped light up the lives of villagers from Shepedung, the last hamlet on the Sino-Indian border in Tawang, to Namchik, a nondescript village in Changlang district along the Indo-Myanmar border with the help of solar-powered incandescent CFL bulbs. Choedon said each family of his village had got two fluorescent bulbs under the solar home system. Project officer S.K. Sahi today said the project has illuminated 5,852 households benefiting 26,198 people of 523 hamlets spread across 10 districts. Of these, 364 villages, tucked away on the Sino-Indian and Indo-Myanmar border, stepped into the limelight this February. A total of 9,393 solar lamps have been distributed among the villagers till now since 2003. The peak capacity of each unit of solar lamp is 37W, Sahi added. The yearlong project, which was completed in February this year, came at a time when people had all but lost hope of getting electricity. “The project was a venture to illuminate the far-flung villages along the country’s borders with China and Myanmar. It was a challenging task for us to take electricity to the villages of Lumla in Tawang; Yakum and Chinagam in Anjaw district; and Namchik and Maithong in Changlang district. It took two to three days for our team to reach the villages, as those remote places do not have any motorable roads,” Sahi said. “The onus was given to Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Authority after normal power grid failed to reach more than 350 villages along the border. The project was successful. The districts of Anjaw, Tawang, East Kameng, Kurung Kumey, Upper Subansiri, Dibang Valley, West Kameng, West Siang, Tirap and Changlang were covered under the project,” he added. “Solar photovoltaic technology, adopted by the energy development authorities, involves direct conversion of sunlight into electricity. A number of solar photovoltaic cells joined together make a solar photovoltaic module necessary for harnessing energy,” Sahi explained. Altogether 67 micro-hydel projects, having a capacity of 5KW to 300KW, will come up soon for electrification of remote border villages under the Prime Minister’s package. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to the state on January 31, 2009 had announced Rs 450 crore for electrification of the remote border villages in the state. |
| 26198 people in 523 hamlets benefit from project along Sino-Indian, Indo-Myanmar border | ||
| ATONU CHOUDHURRI | ||
Itanagar, May 11: Decades of darkness has given way to light, illuminating the hopes and homes of thousands living in the remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh along the Sino-Indian and Indo-Myanmar border. “Our long wait for electricity is over. It is like a dream come true. It is a journey from darkness to light for us as our homes have finally been illuminated,” Sherab Choedon, a villager of Monigong in West Siang district, said. The realisation of the dream has been made possible by a Rs 9-crore project, which was funded by the ministry of new and renewable energy under the scheme, Illumination of Remote Border Villages through Solar Under Prime Minister’s Package, and completed by the Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency recently. The project has helped light up the lives of villagers from Shepedung, the last hamlet on the Sino-Indian border in Tawang, to Namchik, a nondescript village in Changlang district along the Indo-Myanmar border with the help of solar-powered incandescent CFL bulbs. Choedon said each family of his village had got two fluorescent bulbs under the solar home system. Project officer S.K. Sahi today said the project has illuminated 5,852 households benefiting 26,198 people of 523 hamlets spread across 10 districts. Of these, 364 villages, tucked away on the Sino-Indian and Indo-Myanmar border, stepped into the limelight this February. A total of 9,393 solar lamps have been distributed among the villagers till now since 2003. The peak capacity of each unit of solar lamp is 37W, Sahi added. The yearlong project, which was completed in February this year, came at a time when people had all but lost hope of getting electricity. “The project was a venture to illuminate the far-flung villages along the country’s borders with China and Myanmar. It was a challenging task for us to take electricity to the villages of Lumla in Tawang; Yakum and Chinagam in Anjaw district; and Namchik and Maithong in Changlang district. It took two to three days for our team to reach the villages, as those remote places do not have any motorable roads,” Sahi said. “The onus was given to Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Authority after normal power grid failed to reach more than 350 villages along the border. The project was successful. The districts of Anjaw, Tawang, East Kameng, Kurung Kumey, Upper Subansiri, Dibang Valley, West Kameng, West Siang, Tirap and Changlang were covered under the project,” he added. “Solar photovoltaic technology, adopted by the energy development authorities, involves direct conversion of sunlight into electricity. A number of solar photovoltaic cells joined together make a solar photovoltaic module necessary for harnessing energy,” Sahi explained. Altogether 67 micro-hydel projects, having a capacity of 5KW to 300KW, will come up soon for electrification of remote border villages under the Prime Minister’s package. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to the state on January 31, 2009 had announced Rs 450 crore for electrification of the remote border villages in the state. |
