Pandare, a village in East Jaiñtia Hills district is now beaming with light and smiles as after 20 years it is now illuminated with solar lights.
The village is a tiny hamlet under Narpuh Elaka near Brichynot established since 2003 with over 200 households. However, Pandare has no road connectivity, school or primary health care centre.
What’s more is that its inhabitants have no access to electricity. The Star Cement through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative has shell out Rs 12.5 lakh to brighten the nights of homes, two churches by installing 22 solar panels and spent another Rs 1.15 lakh for five street lightings.
“We are delighted as the village, where people were living in darkness for so many years, has been equipped with solar lights. Now our children can study,” Waheh Shnong Frenly Nongtdu said.
“We know that if there is rain power will be scarce. If there is sunlight, we will have ample of it. But at least we now have light,” he added.
The locals depend on areca nut, brooms, pineapple and orange cultivation to earn their daily bread. But with no proper road, they have to carry their produce on their backs and their children tread two kilometres to school in Brichynot.
Secretary of the village Samson Swer rue that school-going age children cannot attend school, because they have not gathered enough strength to walk. He wants authorities to at least establish an SSA school and construct a road to enable villagers to transport their produce.
Representative Management of Star Cement, Devander. K. Bansal expressed satisfaction with the works carried out through its CSR team and said, “Pandare will be at par with other villages. People can now see television, use fans and refrigerator, charge their mobile phones and most important children can now study under light.”
He said that the company through its CSR have undertaken road construction in border villages of Borsora and Shymplong and called for support from the people.
