Power supply a distant dream for Baliguda residents in Odisha’s Kandhamal district

Five years have passed yet the supply of power through the electrical grids installed in areas under Baliguda sub-division of Kandhamal district remains a distant dream for the people residing in the area. The project faces roadblocks in the absence of permission from the Forest and Environment Department to grant space for the construction of 62 towers.

Sources said the state government had in 2016 sanctioned Rs 102 crore for the construction of a 220/33 KV grid substation at Sirtiguda under the K Nuagaon block of Kandhamal district to solve the power supply woes of the people residing in the hilly areas. While work for the said project began in February of that year, the completion target was set for 2018.

Over four lakh people in the five blocks of Kotgarh, Tumudabandh, Daringbadi and K Nuagaon besides Baliguda NAC area would have benefitted from the power grid project had it been made functional. However, it stands non-operational even after five years. As per information, a total of 384 towers were planned to be constructed between Sirtiguda and Kesinga via M Rampur for the supply of electricity. But only 322 towers have been constructed to date.

Construction work for the remaining 62 towers has not yet begun as the Forest and Environment department has yet to accord permission for the same. Reportedly, around 50,000 to 60,000 trees in M Rampur forest range need to be cut down for construction of the towers and 35-metre corridors for which the forest authorities are reluctant.

Speaking on the issue, local MLA of Baliguda Chakrabani Kanhor said if the grids remain non-functional for an extended period of time, the installed equipment would soon become defunct. He further appealed to the Forest Department to allow the construction of the towers in the reserve forest area.