VISAKHAPATNAM: Seventy years after Independence, Indira Nagar in New Colony finally got power supply on Saturday. The slum near Sri Kanya Theatre junction is believed to be one of the oldest in the city. The first residents of the colony settled down there in the 1940s. Most of the inhabitants of the colony are daily-wage earners and domestic helps.
Despite political pressure, the families in Indira Nagar refused to leave the colony, braving several cyclones in the process.
Their 30-year fight for electricity with the EPDCL finally bore fruit on Ambedkar Jayanti. E Sai, a Class X student from the colony said he couldn’t sleep the whole night due to excitement. “I have seen electricity in a few of my friends’ houses. My home looked like a different place altogether after we lit our first bulb,” he gushed. Sai along with 15 other students from the colony recently wrote their Class X examinations. All their preparations took place in candle light. “No more,” Sai grinned.
“This is Independence for us. I came to this colony 35 years back. During the period, we have had several fights with politicians and the colony has been ravaged by cyclones several times, but we stayed put. We even approached courts in our fight,” said Rama Lakshmi, a housewife.
The families believe electricity will solve the water problem in the region. Former IAS officer and social activist EAS Sarma and residents celebrated by lighting the slum’s first bulb.