People in nearly inaccessible pocket Bara Banghal in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh are living in darkness, struggling to get power for long.

The tribal-like folks in this Panchayat use ‘jugnus’ (burning branches of trees) or kerosene lamps for work at night with no electricity.

The only 40 Kilo Watt hydro power project commissioned by Sai Engineering Foundation on charity in 2004 for two villages (Ghraan and Phaal) in the Panchayat is non-functional intermittently for seven-eight years for want of maintenance by state agencies.

All representations by poor people in the area to government to repair the project with permanency have fallen on deaf ears all these years, with the distance(on foot) and their negligible ‘political say’ to blame.

Bara Banghal is isolated, with no road. It involves a 70 kilometres tough trek and takes two to three days to reach Bara Banghal on foot, either from Bir in Kangra or from Holi- Naya Gran in Chamba.

With the new government and is time for Bara Banghal folks, mostly shepherds, to return to their homes, the people have again raked up the issue with Power officials.

“People face great difficulty in the absence of power. The dim solar lights used by some individuals don’t serve their purpose at night.

The battery operated phones can only function for two-three hours in a day.

Even the employees posted here are unwilling to serve in such a hardship,” said a letter by gram Panchyat to Principal Secretary, MPP and Power, with a request to hand over the project to state electricity board for smooth operation.

The project was set up with much delay as the entire machinery had to be airlifted to the place.

“There were hurdles in convincing the government to help in airlifting the machinery then, as Bara Banghal houses just 700 people . The project never ran smoothly even after that,” they said.

“We did not have information that the hydro project in Bara Banghal is shut for so long. We will ensure that it is made functional,” said Ajay Sharma, special secretary, MPP and Power.

Sharma shared with The Statesman that the department has a proposal to install 40-50 KW solar power plant in Bara Banghal, for which the district administration has been asked to provide land.

“This will solve the problem,” he said. The locals, however, argue that most of their problems originate from inaccessibility.

“We are poor, we are struggling for basic needs like power, health and education because of lack of connectivity. I don’t know how much solar plant would help in that case,” argued Pawna Kumari, a local leader.Not surprisingly, no government has so far thought about connecting Bara Banghal with road.

Even the paths or night shelters to make it a safe and secure trek for locals, who cross 4,700 metres high Thamsar Pass (from Bir) across the mountains, don’t exist.