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SIVASAGAR: As the sun sets over the village Dorika Kaibortta Gaon, Panibil under Simaluguri subdivision in Sivasagar district, fish seller Jatin Das and vegetable vendor Bitul Das close their makeshift shops perched on the shoulder of the blacktop road passing through the village. With the sun setting, darkness engulfs the village. Closing of shops after sunset is a fixed routine for Jatin and Bitul.
On the other hand, the blacktop road with a white hyphenated dividing line in the centre, cuts across this village of 150 households. The houses and thatched dwellings on either sides of the road have a population of 550. The simple living house owners boast of little livestock of cows, ducks, hens, pigs, and cycles. A few also own two-wheelers. They guard their little possessions against theft by losing sleep in night. But thefts keep happening, leaving them ruined.
Since August 2019 the village has witnessed a sea change. Jatin and Bitul extended their thanks to ONGC for installing the solar lights in their village.
While talking to The Sentinel, the duo said, “There are no thefts happening in the village since the installation of streetlights. Added to this, we are able to keep our shops open at night so that passers-by can buy fish and vegetables as they go home after the day’s work in Nazira, Simaluguri, and Balighat.”
When contacted, authorities from ONGC informed that ONGC has invested Rs 3 crore for installing streetlights in rural Assam benefitting 25 villages.
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