For remote highland villages, electricity not only lights up daily life but is also seen as a "bridge" to help narrow the development gap between mountainous and lowland areas. However, in some villages in Lao Cai province, a paradox exists: Electricity lines have been extended to homes, electricity meters have been installed, but people still have to find electricity sources themselves.
On March 11, in an exchange with reporters, Mr. Sung A Tu - Head of Lang Ca village, Cat Thinh commune - said that people in the village have been wondering for many years when the electricity system has been completed but has not yet been supplied with electricity.
According to the village head, the project to bring electricity to Ba Chun, Khe Ken, Pin Pe and Lang Ca villages was implemented about 3 years ago. The power supply system has been connected to electric poles in people's houses, even close to switchboards, but the energizing has not yet been implemented.
While waiting for the power grid, people still have to maintain small water-powered generators placed under streams, hundreds of meters away from their homes, even kilometers away. This power source is only enough to light up and charge simple devices such as flashlights or headlights.
Mr. Sung A Trang - a villager - shared: "Here, rice cookers, refrigerators or TVs are still luxuries. Even if you buy them, you can't use them because there's no electricity. Electricity from small generators is unstable, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, so electrical appliances also break down quickly.
Pointing to the section of electric wire that has reached the pole in the house, Mr. Sung A Tu expressed his wish: "People really hope to be supplied with electricity soon to have access to modern household equipment, and at the same time have more machinery to serve production and economic development.
Before people's concerns, the group of reporters went to Cat Thinh Commune People's Committee to find out the cause.
Mr. Ha Bien Cuong - Chairman of Cat Thinh Commune People's Committee - said that the project to supply electricity to villages has completed most of the infrastructure from about 3 years ago.
Power lines, power poles, and transformer stations are basically complete. However, the project is facing obstacles in site clearance, leading to the payment and handover for operation and exploitation not being possible" - Mr. Cuong said.
According to the commune leader, the project is invested by the Lao Cai Provincial Department of Industry and Trade. Over the past time, department officials have repeatedly gone to the area to survey and inspect, but so far there have been no specific results.
Representatives of the Economic - Infrastructure Department of Cat Thinh commune also said that the project was previously implemented with the participation of the Department of Industry and Trade and the People's Committee of Van Chan district (old).
However, after implementing the reorganization of the local government, Cat Thinh commune has not been handed over any dossiers and documents related to the project.
The commune itself does not have enough information to handle it. We can only make a written proposal to send to higher levels - a representative of the Economic - Infrastructure Department said.
