Electricity is certainly one of the many marvels of the human intellect, it is something so integrated into our contemporary way of living that it can be regarded as a basic need such as food and shelter. It is so very fundamental that living without it even for a short period seems impossible.
Now imagine what if we were pushed into living this impossible every day until we died. It may seem out of the question with the resources we have but it is something residents of a remote village in Kupwara face every day.
‘Chack Tariya’ is a small village with a population of around three hundred people who have had no access to any kind of electricity since the independence of India. They up until now have survived using their environment, using wood which they have to retrieve from nearby forests every day, as fuel for all basic tasks. They have been forced into a very harsh life, one without proper information and facilities. Currently, this village is heading towards a crisis that spells clear doom for them as they have started burning through all resources available and soon will have no means of light and warmth available as nearby forests have been reduced to dusty plains.
Any pleas made to all forms of government Kashmir has witnessed over the years have fallen on deaf ears, and their calls for their basic right to electricity have gone unheard and ignored.
Despite this abysmal state of affairs, there seems to be no clear reason as to why this village has not received electricity. The residents continue to suffer day in and day out due to a lack of governmental attention and response.
Syed Imaad
Class X
