Dark Side of Development

Arjun Apawad

            Satrughn Chaudhary, from Dhanusha District started teaching in Sarada secondary School Bulug Dolakha 10 years ago. At the beginning days, When he came in this school this village uses electricity where the neighbor village have passed their night with candle dim light. All villagers united to build power house in Orangkhola near the village. The power houses serve electricity in 4 hundred households in the village. Children of this village were talent in their education because of the electrical lamp. They are very happy at that time, Chaudhary remembered. He adds when student replace Tuki with electrical bulb, their educational progress is being improved.

After 13 years, village returns on Tuki's dim light. Students learning rate is also decreased because of dim light. According to Chaudhary Students feel more difficult to finish their homework. "Mainly poor people lived in this village, When the electricity damaged students didn't thier homework. Here, there are no or less chances to finish their homework in daytime. In night there is no electricity."

After the road construction the irrigation pipe

Santosh Khadka is reading on class 7, where Caudhary teaches. In his studying room there is a 30 watt bulb hanging on ceiling. In this bulb there is no current flow more than 2 years. He finished his homework with tuki's dim light which lies near from the bulbs. His study being worse while his village return to Tuki's dim light from bulb's bright light. "It is more difficult to read and write on dim light. It cannot bulbs light and Tuki's light."  Khadka Said.

Durgadevi Thapa around 80 years still remembered the struggle for building the electricity. Villagers donte not only their wages, they also donate cash payment. "I feel very sad to destroy this electricity where we donate our all things. We also carry the cements, sand and many other things," she said.

When neighbor village Orang builds the road this situation created. There is no any coordination with two villages. This road causes the landslide on powerhouse and the electricity system was destructed. This gives darkness for more than 4 hundred households. This road also destructed the irregation system. It causes more than 85 households field uncultivated.  "Villagers are worried for how to feed the children," said Kalpana Khadka.

Bulung VDC's ex vice chairman Laba Khadka blamed on Orang villagers didn't coordinate with locals for being this situation. He said, "they didin't coordinate with us. They use the excavator for their own design, therefor many things being destructed." He added more than 2 cores rupees infrastructure destroy this road.

Prakash Gurung, secretory of Orang Bulung road building users committee refused Khadka's blame. He argues "if Bulung villagers not agreed at the beginning about the road, it isn't possible to build road from there."