As evening falls, the dim light of the Tuki lights up many settlements in Dadeldhura. More than a thousand households in the district are still without electricity, where solar and Tuki have become the only source of light. 1,211 households in all seven local levels of Dadeldhura have not yet received electricity.

Due to lack of access to electricity, local citizens are forced to spend their daily lives in the light of tuki and solar panels. Electricity has not yet reached the settlements around the district headquarters, from rural and remote areas.

One of those villages is Lekuda in Bhageshwor Rural Municipality. Where poles were installed three years ago. 62 households in Lekuda have been waiting for electricity for years. According to local Khemraj Bhatta, electricity poles have been installed in the village, but there is no decision on when the lights will be turned on.

‘We were assured that electricity would come since the last election. Again, in the next election, we were promised to bring electricity and run the mill within a year,’ he said. ‘Once the plan came, the poles were buried in every house, but no one came back.’ He said that due to the lack of electrification in the village, the poles have become a place to store hay.

Tek Bahadur Budhamagar of Odakhan in Bhageshwor Rural Municipality said that the students are the most affected by the lack of electricity. According to him, it is also difficult to charge mobile phones. He said that solar panels only light up in the evening on sunny days, but when it is cloudy, even solar panels do not work. He also said that the local government should be serious about meeting the basic needs of citizens.

In Amargadhi Municipality, the headquarters of Dadeldhura district, 60 households are still without access to electricity. Electricity has not reached all households in Chirkitte, Pandebasti, Bharda and other settlements in Amargadhi. Similarly, 308 households in Parshuram Municipality are without electricity. Electricity has not reached all households in Basauti, Salon, Haldwari, Rajauda, ​​Simalwanda and Kunda.

In Alital Rural Municipality, 189 households are still in the dark. Many households in villages including Kafalikshetra, Timuli, Tallo Gayani, Parsasain, Baskota, Selta, Mallo Godam, Hamtad and Dola are without electricity. In Bhageshwor Rural Municipality alone, 148 households are without electricity. In areas such as Balada, Kande, Patram, Balakande, Chundi, Lekuda, Radil, Chaud, Satigaun, Odakhan, Rupaligad, 85 households in Navadurga Rural Municipality are far from access to electricity. Electricity has not been extended to Palethar, Bedupani, Panalkhet, Mamme, Sirod and Dulina areas. Similarly, 100 households in Khateda, Kalipokhari, Dhari, Bhulkuda and Galbasti of Ajaymeru Rural Municipality are without electricity. 131 households in Ugnad, Jimroda, Kapadigaun, Meddi, Jasera, Koral, Moi and Railka settlements of Ganyapadhura rural municipality are still in the dark.