BY TC News Desk
Agartala, July 14, 2023: As much as Tirthamukh is famous for the hydroelectric project, Makar Sankranti Mela is more famous than that. This is where the holy bath takes place. Thousands of people of tribal and non-tribal sections offer tarpan in the name of ancestors by bathing in holy water. And about 155 families live in this Tirthamukh Village Committee including Reang, Tripuri, Chakma, etc. Generally, their livelihood is by farming, fishing and finding and selling forest vegetables. These very simple people have long been trapped in various temptations and kept in the same condition day after day, this can be heard in the village. Due to which Thirthamukh became a tourist area, this village has not changed its miserable appearance.
At some point, a liberator preached in this village that since the hydropower project has been built around the Tirthamukh, no people in this village will have to pay electricity bills. As much as the people of this village use electricity, God will pay the bills of all. After hearing that, the people of the village said, Why did we pay for our water, what is the bill for this Karen? No one would receive any bill. The people of this village have also understood in good faith that electricity does not cost a penny here. As a result, about 155 families of Tirthamukh ADC Village never thought of paying their bills from the day they got electricity connection at home. Think about that or why, the emancipator has said that electricity will be available for free like running water. If you believe the words of the saviour, what is greater happiness than free electricity?
Meanwhile, every time, the Jatanbari Power department officials went to the village to settle the electricity bill, the people of the village left the electricity worker without food. They thought that where God had waived their bills, the people of the Power department might have come to ask for the bill with a conspiracy. Exceptions are only four families. They have settled the electricity bills on time every month.
Except for four families, almost all the people of the village have never paid the electricity bill, so the amount of outstanding electricity bill of 150 families of Tirthamukh village has reached Rs 47 lakh 79 thousand. Jatanbari Power department repeatedly cut the power lines, but the four families were paying their bills on time. In this situation, on July 7, 2023, the 200 KV power transformer used for this village broke down. The people of the Power department also wanted to take this opportunity to explain to the village people, put some pressure on them if some outstanding bills could be collected. But the villagers said that since they heard that electricity is being provided free of cost in their village, they will not pay the bill.
On the contrary, the people of the village blocked the road on Thursday. They demanded that the damaged transformer should be repaired and electricity connection should be established in the village immediately. On hearing the news, officials of TSECL along with police and administrative officials also rushed. Before dusk approaches, the lights come on in the Tirthamukh ADC Village. Everyone returned to the village happily. But who will pay the outstanding electricity bill amount of Rs 47 lakh 79 thousand only in this village? The question is there.
Local MLA Sanjay Manik Tripura said that he did not know who misled the villagers. But whoever did that, they actually committed a sin. As a representative of the area, he wants every house in the village to have electricity. Let there be light let the fan spin. But because no one will pay the electricity bill, it cannot happen. He said that he will soon hold a discussion with the villagers about the general administration officials including the electricity corporation to make the villagers aware.
According to him, the villagers should understand that if the electricity bill is not paid, the service will never be fixed. The development of this village will not happen anymore because without electricity, everything is not working now. Like you have to pay money to buy medicine, you have to pay rent when you ride in a car, it takes money to add talk time to your mobile phone.
Therefore, even if you use electricity, you will need money. There can be no more disagreement about this. This time the legislator wants the number of educated boys and girls in the village to increase and increase their income. And everyone be a conscious citizen and pay electricity bills on time like anything else.
