Bihar fights deadly Maoist menace with lights

Patna: The state government in Bihar is trying to fight the deadly Maoist menace with solar lights.

Authorities said they have planned to light up darkened corners of Bihar where Maoists are said to be calling the shots or have established their base camps, taking advantage of the poor or complete lack of development in the absence of power. The Maoist menace has killed hundreds of people in the past two decades in Bihar.

Under part of the ambitious scheme, the government will be installing solar charging stations in at least 100 villages spread across seven districts of Bihar, worst affected by Maoist activities. The move, authorities said, will help provide basic lighting facility in the areas by allowing the villagers charge their solar lights and also their cell phones, by shelling out only Rs2 (Dh0.13).

The seven districts chosen for this lighting project are Gaya, Aurangabad, Arwal, Jehanabad, Nawada, Jamui and Rohtas, all in south-central Bihar. “We believe the scheme will work wonders. It will not only supply light in the inaccessible darkened corners of the state but will also generate employment,” said the Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) director Manish Kumar. The Rs105 million-worth project is expected to take off from October this year. Right now, the authorities are busy identifying the villages where the solar charging stations will be installed.

Lack of basic facilities, such as power and roads has been one of the main reasons behind the Maoists spreading their tentacles in Bihar. While the state government headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar has improved state communications by building roads and bridges, power facility remains far from satisfactory in the state with a population of over 100 million and the present move is aimed at improving the whole scenario.

Authorities say the installations of solar charging stations will provide light to areas which so far are enveloped in pitch darkness, making it easy for Maoists to roam freely after dark and exploit the poor.

In the absence of power, villagers also keep their mobile phones switched off most of their times and switch them on only when they want to call someone in times of emergency. This had also been blocking vital information about the movement of Maoists in the areas.

At present, a total of 33 districts out of Bihar’s total 38 are said to be infested with Maoists activities, as per an official report. Of the 33 identified as Maoist-hit, 20 districts figure in “A” category (or badly infested), five in “B” category and the remaining eight in “C” category.