Our Correspondent

Doda, April 2

The Army on Monday installed 35 solar streetlights in Thanala village of the remote hilly area of Bhaderwah.

The Army’s initiative brought cheers to the villagers. “There used to be no power in our village. We used firewood while studying at night. But now we can study under the solar streetlights. We can also venture out at night, which was not possible earlier due to the fear of wild animals,” said Nasir Hussain, a Class X student.

Thanala model village, located at an altitude of 11,500 feet above the sea level, is an isolated and the remotest village of Bhadarwah subdivision. Surrounded by high mountain peaks and thick forest cover, the village has around 475 houses.

Moreover, despite being declared a model village in 2005-06, the area lacks even basic facilities such as road and electricity due to government apathy. The power supply to the village is frequently disrupted due to harsh climatic conditions.

“Earlier, we never used to go out at night due to the fear of wild animals. Now, we can go to the mosque to offer ‘nimaz’. We are thankful to the Army for installing the solar streetlights in our village,” Shakoor Ahmed, sarpanch, Thanala village.

Asgar Ali, a local, said, “We were facing many problems in the absence of power but the government never paid any attention. Some leaders came to the village but just to garner votes. However, the Army came to our rescue and provided solar streetlights to our village.”

Meanwhile, Maj Gen Rajiv Nanda, General Officer Commanding, Delta Force, said, “The villagers were facing a lot of problems due to the defunct power infrastructure. So on their requests, we have installed 35 solar streetlights in the village under the Operation Sadbhavana. In future too, we will continue to support the people in need