Jhanvi, a 15-year-old from Palathuruthu in Chendamangalam panchayat, dreads nothing more than an overcast sky.
For, it means the solitary light in her home powered by solar energy will shut eye earlier than usual, derailing her studies, and worse still, the online exams often slated in the evenings. Since the pandemic forced her return from the school hostel at Kollam in March, the Standard 10 student has become so accustomed to darkness, living as she does in an un-electrified tin-roofed ramshackle of a two-room house on an isolated plot of three cents.
Surrounded by vacant plots, the nearest electric post is across a canal, and drawing electric lines needs consent from landowners en route, which has not been forthcoming. “That kept us away on rent, though we bought the plot seven years ago. We were forced to move in after the 2018 deluge sent my husband into depression, rendering him unable to work for a while, and hence with no means to pay the rent,” said Jeeva Ratheesh. The treatment expenses of their 10-year-old son with congenital heart disease added to their woes.
KSEB has estimated that merely two posts will be needed to electrify the house by drawing lines from the nearest post across the canal, and since the family belongs to the Below Poverty Line, it can be done free of cost as well. An alternative route entails a deviation of around 250 metres needing in excess of 10 posts and hence is not feasible.
“Since multiple landowners enroute were not willing to give consent, we alerted the Additional District Magistrate about the dispute, and a hearing is slated for Monday. We are willing to do our part any time,” said Archana M.K., assistant executive engineer, Chendamangalam electrical section.
Anoop T.P., Chendamangalam panchayat president, has also written to the ADM after his personal intervention to reconcile the dispute proved futile. “The landowners claimed that drawing lines will affect their plots and suggested an alternative route that cost around ₹35,000, part of which they wanted the beneficiary family to bear. Knowing their situation, I was reluctant to make that demand of them,” he said.
Since then, the Chendamangalam village and the KSEB authorities have undertaken a joint inspection, and the former had submitted a report on the ownership of the plots concerned on a direction from the collectorate. It is learnt that notices have been issued to the parties concerned for the hearing on Monday.
“The demand of the family for power connection is just, and it is important for their safety as well, since their house is on an isolated plot,” said M.A. Sreedath, Chendamangalam village officer.
Jhanvi hopes that Monday’s hearing will eventually free her studies from the vagaries of the weather.