After BJP formed govt in UP, deputy CM’s ‘sasural’ waits for electricity

The formation of BJP government in Uttar Pradesh in March rekindled the hopes of Ram Dulari, a resident of Khuja in Kaushambi district, that her village will finally get electrified.

Ram Dulari is the mother-in-law of Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and she, with other villagers, have appealed to the BJP leader for electricity.

“In 1997, the ‘barat’ (marriage procession) of my son-in-law arrived at the village in the light of patromax. As he is deputy CM now, he can ensure no more marriages are solemnised in darkness. I want to see an illuminated bulb in the village before I die,” said Ram Dulari.

Khuja, which does not have power since Independence, is among the 800 villages under 498 gram sabhas in Kaushambi that have not seen electricity yet.

Village head Mahesh Chaurasia said he managed to get Khuja selected under the Ram Manohar Lohia Scheme under the previous Samajwadi Party government but due to low commission in the contract, corrupt district-level officials did not let power infrastructure come up in the village.

Prem Tiwari, a villager, demanded that corrupt officials who were responsible for keeping the village in darkness should be punished.

“I appeal to the deputy CM to not only ensure electricity in Khuja but also in other villages of the district,” he said.

District magistrate, Kaushambi, Manish Kumar Verma said several villages in the district were without electricity which would be covered under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana by December this year. “I had no idea that the village had a high-profile status. I will ensure that not only Khuja but all villages are covered under the rural electrification scheme,” he said.