Just think about a place that still has no electricity, no proper roads to speak of and no clean drinking water. Life would be so miserable for people living in such a remote area. In an era of modernization, it also comes to mind that where would such a place exist? However, it might be shocking to know that a place in India, even after 75 years of independence, was still untouched with modern facilities.
Until now, people in Suryabeda village in Jharkhand were living a life without any basic amenities which are a basic right of a human being. However, an IAS officer in Jharkhand rose to the occasion and did the needful for the village.
A 2013 batch officer and at present the Singhbhum district Deputy Commissioner, Mr Suraj Kumar is revamping the whole village with electric floodlights, proper roads and clean water.
REMOTE VILLAGE
Suryabeda village, which falls about 15 km from the Musabani block headquarter of East Singhbhum district, was till now devoid of any development. Even basic facilities like electricity, water and roads could not reach this poor village. However, IAS Suraj Kumar brought a ray of hope for the people of this village.
As soon as Mr Suraj came to know about this problem, he held a public court in the village to address the issues with the villagers. There he promised the villagers that their problem would be solved at the earliest.
In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, Mr Suraj said, “I came to know that there wasa village which had neither electricity nor any proper road transportation for the past 70 years. Even for water, they had to struggle a lot. Suryabeda is a village situated between the mountains. The sun also rises late here and sets early. But I was shocked to hear their issues because Jamshedpur is generally considered a district with better facilities. I promised them that I would solve this problem as soon as possible.”
He further explained how he struggled to reach the village while he was going on an official tour with his team. He had to cross three big drains with a motorcycle. Due to such poor road facilities, his motorcycle got punctured and several team members also fell on the way. This was a self-realization for the officer as he himself experienced the poor condition of the village.
ISSUES PREVAILING FOR PAST SEVEN DECADES
Why did such basic facilities could not reach this village for past seven decades? On this question from Indian Masterminds, Mr Suraj says, “Sometimes the lack of an extra effort stops anything from becoming bigger or better. Something similar happened here too. There were some issues of forest clearance, for which no extra effort was made to resolve it.”
“The roads were bad because no government fund allotted for the village. No extra effort was ever made to improve the poor conditions of the village. However, Jamshedpur is such a place, where there are many influential and rich people who would come forward to help if their help was sought. Sometimes people do not come forward and speak. If people themselves do not raise their voices, then even the government comes on back-foot. However, this is our shortcoming and I accept it. Apart from this, perhaps one reason has also been Naxalism. Maybe that’s why people might not be able to address their issues.”
HOW DID THE CHANGE COME?
Following his promise, IAS Suraj started making rapid development in Suryabeda village, which had been living in the dark for centuries. First, the problem of forest clearance for the installation of electric poles was resolved in collaboration with the Forest Department. After that, the officer started the work of making PCC Path (Cemented Road) with his personal funds. Support from local public representative (Ghatshila) MLA Ramdas Soren was also received in this development work. The PCC path of about 500 feet has been built by the MLA whereas an additional path of about 1500 feet is being built by Mr Suraj, the work of which is still going on.
