Hooghly, 06 November (H.S.): Nearly 79 years after India's Independence, electricity has finally reached a village in Hooghly district. For the first time, electricity was supplied to Astradattapur village under Tarakeswar Assembly constituency ahead of Diwali, bringing immense joy to around 400 tribal families.

According to local residents, electricity poles had been installed in the village several years ago, but wires were never connected. As a result, villagers remained deprived of electricity for decades. Children and students were among the worst affected, as studying after sunset was extremely difficult without proper lighting.

Local resident Rui Bari expressed happiness over the development, saying that electricity had reached their village for the first time since Independence. However, she also alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress government had deliberately neglected the village for political reasons.

BJP MLA Santu Pan claimed that the villagers had been voting for the BJP since 1997-98 and alleged that this was one of the reasons behind the prolonged deprivation of electricity. He said that during his election campaign, he became aware of the villagers' plight and promised to ensure electricity supply as his first priority if elected.

According to Pan, the district electricity department began installing electricity meters in households around a month ago. Families listed under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category will receive free electricity connections. So far, new meter boxes have been installed in 50 houses, while the process of extending electricity connections to more than 100 families is underway.

All the families in the village belong to the tribal community and primarily depend on agriculture for their livelihood. After decades of waiting, the arrival of electricity ahead of Diwali has brought a new ray of hope to these families, making this year's festival of lights particularly special.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey