Thalinji hamlet brithtned at last
For the 96 tribal families living at Thalinji hamlet in Coimbatore District, it is brightness at last.The hamlet, located six km away from the Udumalpet-Munnar main road in the Amaravathi Forest Range, has no electricity connection now, according to Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Development Society, a non-Governmental organisation.A project to be implemented by the society will provide energy from biogas to burn six street lights and to pump water. The Rs. 10 lakh project is funded under the United Nations Development Programme. According to V.R. Eswaran, Executive Director of the society, the plant will be commissioned in three months. The project officer for the District Rural Development Agency, T. Murugan, laid the foundation for the project recently.
Mr. Eswaran explained that all the 96 families in the hamlet owned cattle. The cow dung was used as manure now. This would be used in biogas based power generation plant to generate electricity and also to supply cooking gas to all the households.The cooking gas supply would save about 75 tonnes of wood used annually for this purpose. Further, about 810 tonnes of manure would be produced annually through the biogas system and this would be used in the agricultural activities.The biogas plant would be maintained and operated by self-help groups in the hamlet.Six groups had been formed for this purpose. The NERD Society has also distributed solar lanterns in the hamlet.Laying the foundation, Mr. Murugan said that the District Administration would also look at improving the infrastructure to provide better connectivity between the hamlet and the main road. Further, to improve the livelihood of the people living in the hamlet, they would be provided skill training in mushroom cultivation, jute product making, toy making, etc.
