Dabbi village in Jammu and Kashmir, near the Line of Control, now has solar-powered lights installed by the army. This project, called 'Sadhbhavana' or goodwill, was finished quickly to help villagers who've suffered from cross-border shelling for years and had no street lights. The army's aim was to improve life in Dabbi, so they put up solar lights where people gather, like near the mosque, shrine, school, and animal sheds. Now, 19 households and 129 villagers have reliable street lights, making it safer to move around at night. This also created community spaces and brought people closer.
The villagers praised the army for the initiative and said the solar lights had not only illuminated their village but also lit up their lives. "It was very difficult for the people to move around during night hours, especially when it was raining. We are very thankful to the army for installing solar lights and illuminating the village to make it easy for the people to attend prayers without any trouble," Imam Mohd Sarfaraz told PTI.
"Key areas for placing of solar lights were identified in consultation with locals which included visiting houses in the village, transportation of apparatus of solar lights, batteries to remote locations including the farthest house of the village at 400 meters from the LoC and also spreading awareness of the use of sustainable energy at the village level," he said. He said the initiative also places a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability by leveraging the potential of solar energy to address reliable lighting.
(Source: ET Energy)
