DHARMAPURI: Nestled 22 minutes away from Harur, Karapadi is a tribal settlement in the district, where one had to rely on oil lamps, candles and bonfire after the darkness falls, as no electric connection has ever been laid in the village till date.
However, the sorry state of affairs is now a thing of the past, thanks to the district administration for electrifying the village. Collector S Malarvizhi in a release issued on Thursday said the tribal settlements here account for two per cent of the total tribal population in TN and many tribal hamlets have not received their fair share of development.
“In an effort to develop tribal hamlets in the district, the administration is implementing many Central and State government schemes, including at Sitheri, Sitling Vathalmalai, Kotturmalai, Allakattu,” she added.
Karapadi still lacks roads, clean drinking water
Saying that one such initiative is the electrification of Karapadi village, she added that the district administration took this step after a petition was received from the residents of the village. District administration allotted Rs 31.90 lakh of funds and received various permission from the Forest Department. The administration has electrified the village by setting up a 63 KW transformer and by setting up 172 electric poles covering a distance of over 8 km, she informed.
Speaking to TNIE, Malarvizhi said, “The village was not electrified even after 74years of independence and the people here have been using candle lights and bonfires for vision at night. When we introduced electricity in the village, it was like they found the light at the end of the tunnel.” Sharing her happiness for the people, she said that now the children in the village can study at home, and soon TV and radio would be kept for the villagers’ entertainment.
The villagers have also requested basic amenities like roads, clean drinking water and housing. Presently efforts are underway for improving the infrastructure and soon other works will follow, she said. To boost the economy of the village they have also provided as many as 20 goats and cows to the residents. The residents were allotted caste certificate, ration card and other certification required for receiving further government schemes, she said.