These Bagalkot villagers in Karnataka getting free power supply for last 20 years

BELAGAVI: Residents of Shirol village in Bagalkot district have been enjoying free electricity for the past 20 years when people of other parts of the state are now eagerly waiting for Congress government’s guarantee of free power up to 200 units a household. 

Incidentally, Shirol is the only village in the state where people are getting electricity free of cost, thanks to Raitha Sangha members, who along with villagers, staged an agitation and locked up government officials in a room in protest against power crisis at Shirol village 20 years ago. After the agitation, officials never collected power bills from the people of Shirol.

Venkanna Malali of Shirol said people of his village faced severe power crisis till 2003. They depended on electricity to irrigate their crops. Because of the power crisis, they faced huge losses every year. With officials of the then Karnataka Electricity Board (KEB) not responding to their pleas for proper power supply, the villagers led by Raitha Sangha leaders staged a massive agitation in front of Shirol Gram Panchayat office in 2003. 

The enraged villagers locked up a team of officials, who tried to pacify them, in the panchayat office. 

‘Villagers stopped paying bills’

The sangha leaders gave a call to the villagers not to pay their power bills till they get proper supply. However, the villagers stopped paying their bills though they have been receiving proper power supply after the agitation, Venkanna Malali of Shirol village said.

Meanwhile, sources said many new houses and commercial establishments have come up at Shirol with owners themselves getting electricity meters and cables installed without approval from the department concerned.