After 40 years in darkness, electricity returns to Chhattisgarh village affected by Maoists

NEW DELHI: After four long decades of darkness, Polampad village in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district lit up with joy, as electricity returned to the remote, Maoist-hit region for the first time in 40 years.

This turned into a historic moment for Polampad, where villagers celebrated the arrival of electricity with renewed hope. For years, the community lived without basic facilities, as Maoists destroyed power lines, roads, and cut off access to development.


That changed in 2024, when a CRPF camp was established nearby, ensuring safety and enabling the government to restart long-pending infrastructure projects.

"This will open doors to development," said Sukma SP Kiran Chavan. "After the CRPF moved in, electricity, roads, and other services were finally restored."

"Electricity has returned after around 40 years. The CRPF set up their camp near the village in 2024 and restored electricity. In this area, a lot of villages had electricity, but the Naxalites destroyed the power connection to a lot of villages. They also destroyed roads. But after the CRPF camp was set up, electricity, roads and other facilities were restored," he added.


"We got electricity yesterday and are very happy," a local resident told ANI.