More than 14,516 households in Sundarbans can now breathe a sigh of relief and they are going to experience brighter evenings soon with the installation of solar lights.
A total of 100 street lights are being installed across five villages in the Kultali range. The development not only promises better visibility but also serves as a crucial measure to protect villagers from conflicts with wildlife.
The villages, benefitting from this initiative, include Bhubaneshwari, Debipur, Modhho Gurugira, Purba Gurugira and Deulbari, Chituri forest, all situated in the Kultuli range within the Sundarbans.
In the absence of light, people living in these areas are exposed to snake bites. The villagers are often attacked by poisonous snakes resulting in deaths or severe injuries.
The Kultuli range falls under the jurisdiction of the directorate of forest, south 24-Parganas division. Milan Mandal, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of south 24-Parganas said the electricity in the area is not enough. Snake bites and intrusion of tigers into villages require comprehensive measures to ensure the safety and well being of the local population.
There is a plan to instal 10, 125 solar street lights covering significant parts of the villages. Arpita Mukherjee, president of the Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage, said these solar-powered poles are expected to generate 10,182.5 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity annually.
The Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage has been working in the Sundarbans for the past 15 years on mangrove plantation, women empowerment, vocational skill development and livelihood improvement in collaboration with the forest department.
The forest department has identified the areas where the solar poles will be installed. Communities have been formed among villagers to monitor and maintain the solar panels. The Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage will provide training to the villagers to maintain the solar poles.
It may be mentioned that Centre’s PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bill Yojana proposes an investment of over Rs 75,000 crore and aims to illuminate one crore households by providing up to 300 units of free electricity every month.