Chhotomollakhali (Sunderbans): Devoid of electricity for generations, Chhotomollakhali in Sunderbans has finally been lit up months before the island cluster in South 24 Parganas goes to polls on Thursday.
For years, electricity was the sole election agenda on this islet, situated at the Sunderbans’ southernmost corner. Chhotomollakhali has been witness to the slow progress towards electrification over the last one decade.
“Electric poles first reached the village before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The poles lay on the road for two years until they were erected just before the 2016 assembly elections. The high-tension wires were connected shortly before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. And around eight months ago, our island finally got electricity,” said Khagen Kayal, a quack doctor who now doubles as a cold-drink seller.
Kayal says he has bought a refrigerator where he stores cold drinks and juice alongside tetanus ampule and insulin bottles. “Life has become a bit easier with the advent of electricity, especially in this sweltering heat,” he said.
