TINGKAI KHULLEN (Manipur), Dec 25 � Lalcha Haokip of Tingkai Khullen, a tiny remote village located at Laimaton-Koubru in Senapati district celebrated Christmas this year with electric lights for the first time.
�We are having a nice time this Christmas�, said Lalcha, in-charge of sound system of the village church. �We will also be able to watch films on TV this time�.
Like Lalcha, the 41 households of the picturesque village, 45 km from the State capital Imphal, with a population of 230, celebrated the Christmas differently this year. The tireless effort of the young village chief Nehkholam Haokip to electrify his village has brought smiles to the villagers when Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency (Manireda) stepped in and installed a 10 Kilowatt wind-solar hybrid power project in the village.
�We could not do anything as our village was listed as one of the electrified villages�, the village chief said. �But our dream came true through Manireda project.� The village energy committee (VEC) will charge Rs 50 per CFL bulb per month from every household for the maintenance of the 36 solar battery sets, wind blades and payment of honorarium for two caretakers.
There was no electricity in the village even though resettlement started after the village was deserted for five years till 2001 due to the ethnic clashes between the Nagas and Kukis in the early nineties.
With the advent of electric light from the wind and solar plant, the village now has three TV sets. �Sometimes we dont feel like staying back in valley areas any more as there was always load shedding these days unlike our non-stop power supply in the village�, Nehkholam felt. The State which requires a minimum of 100 MW of power, is getting hardly half during peak hours.
According to Manireda Director L Manglem, the organisation has so far electrified more than 200 villages out of the State�s 3,000 habitations in the last 10 years at the rate of 20 villages per year with renewable sources of power supply.
