Bara Bhangal to get power after 10 years

Tribune Reporters

Dharamsala/Palampur, October 26

Residents of Bara Bhangal, the remotest villagein Kangra district, will get power supply after 10 years.

The district administration has planned to set up a solar power panel based energy system in the village.

A spokesman of the government told the Tribune here today that a team of electrical engineers and administrative officers flew to Bara Bhangal with 168 solar panels and batteries. The team would stay in the village and the project would be installed in 10 days. The project was being managed by HIMURJA, a government enterprise.

Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister, is monitoring the progress of the project. Residents of Bara Bhangal had called on him in Dharamsala three months ago and highlighted the issue. Later, the CM directed the DC to provide the power supply to the village before the onset of the winter.

The government had installed a 40 KVA hydropower plant in the village in ‘90s when the late Congress leader Pandit Sant Ram was the MLA from Baijnath. However, it had been lying non-functional for the past 10 years.

Bara Bhangal is located in the Dhauladhar hills and one has to trek at least 70 km through mountain passes to reach the village. It has a population of 400.

Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal is taking a personal interest in the development of the village.