After living 70 years in the dark, Cavrem dhangars to see the light by Christmas

QUEPEM: A seven-decade wait for electricity is likely to end for the 100-odd members of the Dhangar community at Camona-Ube Fator in the Cavrem-Pirla panchayat jurisdiction, as the government has assured to provide connections to their houses before Christmas. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 33 lakh.TOI had frontpaged a report on September 19 highlighting the community’s continuous struggle in Camona’s remote forest area without basic necessities such as water, electricity and a motorable road. Assistant engineer (electricity) Sharad Naik told TOI that the procurement of material and the tendering process to supply electricity to the Dhangar community has been fast-tracked. “We are trying to supply power to them during Diwali as soon as we issue a tender and work order, but it will not go beyond Chirstmas,” Naik said.A total of 50 RCC poles will be erected using two transformers covering a distance of nearly 3km. Sources, however, said that erecting them may take extra time due to the difficulty in manoeuvring heavy vehicles transporting the poles on the uneven road. The stretch, however, is likely to be levelled temporarily.Two houses at Naqueri under the Cavrem-Pirla panchayat have also been included in the tender. Seven poles will be erected to give them power supply. An elated Bhome Bhavdhan, 55, said the misery of living in darkness from the time she was born birth would be over. “We were unable to purchase electrical equipment like fridges, TVs and washing machines due to lack of power supply. The sweltering summers, too, have been difficult to get through without a fan in our homes,” Bhavdhan said.Another local, Bombo Bhavdhan, was equally happy after staff from the electricity department visited the ward for a quick survey to erect a new line. “We had completed the wiring in our houses two year ago and had submitted our files in the Quepem office,” he said.The families were connected to a solar power network about five years ago, but it didn’t last long.