Post CM Stalin’s announcement, Kathirimalai hamlet all set for electrification

Kathirimalai, a remote hamlet in Chennampatti forest, to be electrified for the first time, improving residents' quality of life.

Kathirimalai, a remote hamlet located on the hilly terrain of Chennampatti forest, is set to be electrified for the first time following an announcement by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Erode on Friday.

The ₹2.50-crore project aims at uplifting the quality of life of its inhabitants, who have been living without reliable power supply for generations. Situated about 82 km from Erode, the hamlet is home to 76 families comprising 267 persons from the Solaga community. It is located at a height of 1,052 metres in the Chennampatti forest range in the Erode Forest Division, under the jurisdiction of the Bargur Panchayat Union in Anthiyur taluk.

With no motorable road, one has to trek 9 km on the rough terrain from Malayalathan Colony on the foothills to reach the hamlet.

For a brief period in 2018, the hamlet had received solar-powered lighting. Each household was provided two bulbs. However, now, most of the batteries have become dysfunctional, leaving the village in darkness after sunset.

The lack of electricity and transportation has posed significant challenges for the residents, especially students, and during medical emergencies.

As for accessibility, in 2022, a single-layer water bound macadam road was laid at a cost of ₹1.47 crore on the hilly terrain leading up to the hamlet. However, the road has suffered extensive damage owing to rain and other reasons. Work to restore the road is under way.

An engineer in Tangedco told The Hindu that 80 poles would be erected on the hilly terrain to power every household, and a tender for the project would be floated soon. “Once the work order is issued, the contractor is expected to complete the project within six months...,” he said, adding that transporting the poles through the forest would be a challenging task.