Decades on, power supply restored to this Maoist-hit Chhattisgarh village

Tarrem village, located along the borders of Sukma and Bijapur districts, had suffered for years after ultras dug up roads and destroyed government infrastructure.

A remote village located along the borders of Sukma and Bijapur districts in Chhattisgarh has started receiving electricity after decades.

The village started receiving electricity after years. (ANI Twitter)

Tarrem village, hit by the Maoist insurgency, had suffered for years after ultras dug up roads and destroyed government infrastructure. However, the fruits of development are slowly reaching the villagers again. The district collector of Bijajur said some lives were lost and machinery damaged while rebuilding roads and bringing back power to the remote areas.

“In the 1980s, there used to be power and roads here, but Naxals dug up the roads and demolished government infrastructure. We have now constructed Bijapur-Awapalli and Awapalli-Basaguda roads. We lost men and machinery during this. We also expanded the electricity line,” collector Ritesh Agrawal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Villagers said they were living in darkness for years, but things are looking up with a school and health centre being developed. A panchayat bhawan and anganwadi centre have already come up in the village. "We received electricity connection for the first time last month. Before that, we were living in the dark. Road connectivity came a year ago. There is a panchayat bhawan and anganwadi centre in the village. A school and health centre are also being developed," said Kusum, a local.