Wait of 77 years over, Simrajra village to be lit up before I-Day
2
Hazaribag: In the heart of Hazaribag district, a small village named Simrajra stands on the brink of transformation. For 77 long years, the villagers have lived in the shadows, their nights lit up only by the moon and stars.
But now, a new dawn is breaking, promising to light up their lives in ways they had only dreamed of after deputy commissioner (DC) Shashi Prakash Singh assured them that the area is expected to get electricity by Independence Day.
A TOI report on July 8, titled '77 years on, Hazaribag village still stuck in dark', highlighted the plight of the villagers, who were battling without electricity connection till date. The village has around 150 people, all belonging to ST category.
Talking to TOI on Wednesday morning, the DC said, "In another few days, the power supply will start in each and every house of this village. I came to know about the plight of Simrajra after going through a report in TOI. It was a challenging job to start the work, considering the terrain, forest areas, and the pending NOC from the forest department. But I ensured the work kicks off by roping in a team of officials comprising all the departments concerned.
"
Villagers said that last year before the assembly elections, the foundation was laid for this work with poles brought in large numbers. But the work did not take off. Today, the village is abuzz with activity again. Over 100 poles have been erected, and the installation of 11,000-volt wires is nearing completion.
An assistant engineer said that there is a hill near the main road to Simrajra village for 6 km. Due to stones at the foothills, there was difficulty digging pits to erect the poles.
"But now poles installation is being done," he said.
With just two months of his posting in Hazaribag, Singh said that it was just a matter of willpower to solve problems of this village. "I can say that in the next four to five days, the residents here will start getting electricity," he said.
The villagers watch with bated breath as their dream of electrification inches closer to reality. Among them is Sonali Kumari, a bright-eyed class-6 student who eagerly anticipates the day she can study under the glow of an electric bulb. "I can now study at night, too," she said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
11 hours ago
- India.com
Tricolour hoisted only at Red Fort and not on other Mughal-era buildings because…, what is the Nehru connection?
Tricolour hoisted only at Red Fort and not on other Mughal-era buildings because…, what is the Nehru connection? Independence Day Facts: 15th August is about to come, and people are ready to celebrate the day with full zeal and patriotic fervour. Independence Day is not just a day but its an emotion for every Indians. It is the result of numerous sacrifices. When the Prime Minister of the country hoists the flag at the Red Fort, every Indian, whether he is living in abroad, get emotional, remembering the sacrifices people made for the independence of the country from the British rule. But do you know why the tricolor hoisted only at the Red Fort and not at any other Mughal buildings like Taj Mahal or Fatehpur Sikri? Let us know the reason behind this.
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Activists plan Aug 15 flag-hoisting to save shut-down BMC school in Mahim
Mumbai: Parents, alumni and local activists have come together to save a BMC-run school on New Mahim Road, which was vacated in June after the civic body declared the building unsafe. Concerned that the school could be demolished and never rebuilt, the group has decided to host a flag-hoisting ceremony on its premises on August 15 to raise awareness and send a message to the authorities. Mumbai, India - June 23, 2025:New Mahim Municipal English Primary School at Mahim, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, June 23, 2025. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) Local activist Pranali Raut, who is leading the 'Save School' campaign, said the decision was taken at a meeting held on Saturday. 'Around 20 to 25 parents, former students and local residents joined the meeting,' she said. 'We will organise a flag-hoisting ceremony on Independence Day in the school premises with students present. This is not just a symbolic act. We want to show the BMC that this school matters to our community.' The school, which has served the Mahim area for over 50 years, was last repaired in 2017. In July 2024, it was marked as C-2 grade—unsafe but repairable. But in January 2025, the same building was suddenly reclassified as C-1, meaning completely unsafe and ready for demolition. This quick change in classification has raised doubts among parents and activists. According to documents received by activists, BMC officials had recommended repairs on the third floor in November 2024 and even advised a second structural audit for confirmation. Despite this, the BMC education department decided to close the school and shift students to nearby schools. Activists say that no new school has been built nearby, and the Mori Road BMC school—which was demolished in 2019—also remains unreconstructed. Earlier BMC reports stated that the New Mahim school would only be demolished after the Mori Road school was rebuilt. One document from December 2024 also mentioned that relocating six schools in the Mahim area was not possible due to the lack of space in nearby schools. Deepak Pawar, founder of the language advocacy group Marathi Abhyas Kendra, questioned the BMC's handling of the issue. 'There is confusion in the reports,' he said. 'Some say the building can be repaired and others call it dilapidated. We are now demanding a fresh structural audit and want the school to be restarted.' Parents and community members worry that once the school is demolished, the area will permanently lose a much-needed educational space. Despite repeated attempts, BMC education officials remained unavailable for comment.
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
The soul on ventilator support
Artist Kulwinder Singh was driving from his village in Sangrur to Chandigarh when he observed road accidents caused by the obscuring smoke screen of paddy stubble infernos. Though hailing from a farmer's home, the young man's sensitivity liberated him from the corral of his ancestry. A thought flashed in his inner eye: 'Burning does not just adversely affect us farmers by way of health hazards, environmental pollution, destruction of biodiversity helpful to soil such as worms and the earth's destruction. But also people unconnected to farming.' Wildbuzz | The soul on ventilator support Singh is of the conviction that art must reach beyond the decorative to 'disturb' and send ripples through a stagnating social conscience. He conceived a painting from that 'driving' thought. It smoulders, and arrests the gaze. It was on prime display at the annual exhibition of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi. It is of an elderly farmer with an oxygen mask. The scarecrow behind him also clamped with a breathing filter. Wisps of burnt stubble settle on the wizened farmer's white kurta, like indelible black curses. 'It is an aesthetic depiction of a warning: that the farmer is on ventilator support. The terminal stage. If not heeded, we will have committed suicide,' Singh, an art teacher in a Chandigarh school, told this writer. The painting is rich in cultural symbolism. In the kurta's upper pocket is a bulging wallet depicting a man of wealth. 'However, my artwork evokes the message: wealth will not be able to prevent the looming destruction to the self and to environment,' Singh added. The young artist is critical of the self: 'It is not enough to say farmers burn stubble because it is cheap and Government provides no alternative. We must evolve from the destructive paddy cycle, which has also depleted the water table.' The artwork whispers of the ironies that wrack the soul of contemporary Punjab: obsessed with blasphemy but oblivious to the scriptures steeped in the vision of environmental preservation, of symbols and rituals accorded precedence over principles. Burmese python turns turtle and pretends it is dead! (Santosh Bhattarai) The python's drama of death The Chhatbir zoo has recently acquired a much sought-after species: three Burmese pythons. This giant serpent is curated by only seven of the 156 zoos in India. In captivity, its behavioural diversity is limited because of the confines but in the wilderness it can be quite an enigma. One of the most interesting aspects of the Burmese python is a unique field observation of it feigning death. This is a behaviour more associated with smaller snakes, mammals and amphibians not at the apex of the food chain like the python. Death feigning or thanatosis is the self-inducement of a state of temporary paralysis to avoid predators, maximize probability of survival and avert risk of damage against external stimuli. Santosh Bhattarai, one of the rare researchers who has consistently expended time and energy on Burmese pythons, shares an observation with a photograph of a mighty python which preferred to play possum, twice. This was when a female python was rescued from the hen coop of a house nearby to Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal. 'During the rescue, the python was quite aggressive as the poultry owner had tried to chase it from the hut. After rescue, the python was placed in a plastic sack and taken to the National Trust for Nature Conservation--Biodiversity Conservation Center for photographic documentation and release. When removed from the sack, the body of the python was found to be stiff and it was not hissing or indulging in any other aggressive action. When the python was placed on the ground, it did not move and appeared almost catatonic or dead. Upon gentle stimulation to its dorsum (upper part), it suddenly inverted its body, exposing its venter and remained immobile in this posture with a closed mouth for about four minutes,' Bhattarai told this writer. 'Later, it returned to the upright position, began to crawl and attempted to escape. The python was recaptured and it again imitated death. However, on this occasion, the (death) behaviour lasted only 1.5 minutes. Afterwards, the python was returned to the sack for another one hour. On the third occasion of release, the python did not feign death but crawled and was released into the CNP,' added Bhattarai. vjswild2@
