Dhubri: Choto Pokalagi village, located under Agomoni Tehsil and home to over 120 households, has remained cut off from Assam’s power grid due to its difficult terrain and proximity to interstate railway infrastructure. Officials said extending electricity from the state grid was technically unfeasible, leaving the village without regular power since 1947.
In a rare and strategic move, the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) entered into an agreement with the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) to source electricity from the neighbouring state. The cross-border arrangement has ensured reliable power supply to the isolated border community.
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According to Rakesh Saha, Assistant General Manager, APDCL Dhubri, the initiative forms part of a broader effort to electrify remote interstate “pockets” where conventional grid expansion is not possible. Implemented under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), the project involved installing three transformers to meet local demand.
For villagers, the change is transformative. Students can now study under electric lights, while households and farmers gain access to better communication, irrigation and digital services. “After 75 years, seeing electricity in our homes feels like a new beginning,” said a village elder. The project is now being viewed as a model for electrifying other hard-to-reach border settlements through inter-state cooperation.
