Dum Dum house gets power connection after 5 decades

Sanjib Chakraborty

Kolkata: A house in the Globe Nursery area of Ward No. 15 under North Dum Dum Municipality, located barely 2.5 km from the airport, finally received an electricity connection after nearly five decades, thanks to the efforts of newly elected Dum Dum Uttar MLA Sourav Sikdar. During his election campaign, Sikdar assured the family that he would help resolve their long-pending issue. Fulfilling that promise, the new electricity connection was installed at the house on Friday.

Sources said the family of septuagenarian Arati Mondal was living without electricity for over 50 years despite repeated applications for a connection. “Due to a property dispute among co-sharers, this house remained without an electricity connection for over five decades,” a neighbour said.

For decades, the family claims, repeated appeals to the electricity department and public representatives failed to bring a power connection.

“My husband was a heart patient,” said 72-year-old Arati Mondal. “During the sweltering summers, hand fans offered the only relief from the heat. Without electricity, the unbearable heat made our life extremely difficult. My husband suffered a heart attack and died. My granddaughter studied under the light of a kerosene lamp or candles. Even after passing Higher Secondary, we could not afford to send her to college because of our circumstances.”

The family says the house is more than 50 years old. During that time, Arati’s father-in-law, mother-in-law and husband all passed away without ever seeing electric lights in their home.

Today, Arati lives in the house with her daughter and granddaughter, who completed Higher Secondary education despite the challenges. Neighbours say it was difficult to believe that in a well-developed locality so close to Kolkata airport, theirs was the only house without an electricity connection.

“The family was extremely poor and could not meet the additional costs they were asked to bear. Property disputes within the family also complicated matters, and their appeals to public representatives went unanswered,” Debabrata Saha, a neighbour, said.

For the first time in more than 50 years, electric lights came on inside the home only on Friday.

“It feels like a dream,” said an emotional Arati. “I have spent years going from office to office and asking for help. I worked in other people’s homes all my life to support my family. My husband died without ever enjoying the comfort of a fan or electric light. I never thought electricity would come to this house. Today, I am very happy.”

Fighting back tears, she added: “My in-laws died in darkness. My husband also passed away in darkness. After all these years, I have finally seen light in my home. Now I feel I can spend the rest of my life in dignity.”

Her granddaughter Brishti echoed the sentiment. “I studied under a kerosene lamp,” she said. “We sought help from many places but got nowhere. I told the MLA about our problems during the campaign. He promised to help, and I believed him. Today he has kept his word. For us, this is nothing less than a dream come true.”

MLA Sourav Sikdar said he was shocked when he first saw the family’s living conditions during the election campaign. “The house is barely 500 metres from Jessore Road and very close to Kolkata airport. The fact that a family lived here without electricity for more than 50 years is a matter of shame for any govt,” the MLA told TOI. “After receiving instructions from chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, I immediately contacted the concerned officials and asked them to ensure that the family received an electricity connection without delay.”

He added that efforts are also underway to help the family access welfare schemes, including food assistance, housing support and other govt benefits.