Plight of Melghat: Despite 75 Years of Independence, Villages Struggle Without Electricity, Roads, and Mobile Connectivity

Chikhaldara: Even after 75 years of Independence, 21 villages in Melghat do not have an electricity supply. There is no road in 40 villages and more than 150 villages still do not even have State Transport Board (ST) buses. More than 15 villages do not have mobile range facilities. In such a situation, the tribals, believing in democracy, exercised their right to vote on April 26. Despite the stigma of malnutrition and the subsequent collapse of development schemes worth crores of rupees, the reality in Melghat is still grim. In many villages, tribals are deprived of the corporation's buses, electricity supply, roads, and mobile range to the village due to lack of basic facilities.

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Many villages without mobile range
The fact is that there is no mobile range in the Hatru, Jarida, and Bairagarh belt of Melghat, located on the Madhya Pradesh border. Many villages like Chobita, Lakhewada, Bodhu, Khari, Limekhadi, Karanjkheda, Sarvankheda, Chilati, Simori, Kuhi Ruipathar, Hilda, Marita are without mobile network. Tribal youth are highly educated and they too have Android mobiles. While they are now hoping to see what is going on in the world and the sources of education through the internet, many villages do not have a range of mobiles.

Darkness in 21 villages
A total of 21 villages including Raksha Kund, Rangubeli, Khopmar, Chopan, Dhokda, Khamda, Kinhikheda, Khutida Sumita, Marita, Sarovarkheda, Raipur, Boratya, Makhla, Madizhadap, Chunkhadi, Navalgaon, Bichukheda in Melghat are still in the dark due to lack of electricity supply. When the lamp of development will be lit remains unanswered.

In many tribal hamlets in Dharni and Chikhaldara Talukas of Melghat, there is no road thus no buses can come to the villages. As a result, locals have no choice but to own private vehicles. Even today, they have to go to the Taluka and the market for shopping, riding on a four-wheeler.