Korba District Villages Rejoin Democracy: Voting Boycott Ends with Collective Resolve
Raipur: In response to the boycott threat by residents of several dependent villages in the Korba district, Collector and District Election Officer Saurabh Kumar has taken decisive action. A letter was issued to concerned officials instructing them to address the pressing issues of electricity supply, drinking water, approach roads, and mobile connectivity in these villages promptly.To resolve the villagers’ grievances, administrative officials engaged with the Pahari Korva community in these areas, emphasizing the significance of participating in the upcoming Assembly Elections.
Following informative discussions with the officials, the villagers, including the Pahari Korvas, have decided to withdraw their initial decision to boycott the 2023 Legislative Assembly Elections and are committed to exercising their voting rights.Upon investigating the identified problems and grievances, Collector Saurabh Kumar, has ensured arrangements for electricity supply, drinking water, and approach roads in various villages, including Phulwari, Kharibhavna, Lalmati, Dhabadand, Sardih in Kerakchhar, Barpali-Rajadih, and Piparkona Mohalla under Gram Panchayat Solwan.
Additionally, efforts will be made to establish mobile connectivity in these areas.In this regard, letters have been dispatched to the Executive Engineer of CREDA and CSEB for the supply and maintenance of electricity, as well as to the Executive Engineer of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak for the construction of approach roads.
The Collector has also issued a directive to the Executive Engineer of Public Health Engineering to address the issue of high iron content in the drinking water supplied to Kharibhavna village, with plans to install a new bore.Furthermore, letters have been sent to various service providers, including BSNL, Jio, and Airtel, to enhance mobile network connectivity in villages inhabited by the Pahari Korvas.It’s worth noting that villages Bagdharidand and Sardih, located within the Rampur assembly constituency in the Korba district, fall under polling station number 96, known as Darga. These polling stations recorded an 88.33 percent voter turnout in the 2018 Assembly elections and an 85.29 percent turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In response to the Pahari Korvas’ boycott decision, administrative officials’ interventions have successfully convinced villagers to participate in the Legislative Assembly Elections of 2023.