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Batambiss village gets electricity ever first time in the history

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KARGIL:-One of the largest and the remotest village of Kargil District, Batambis, finally came out of darkness into the 21st Century light as it was electrified by the latest cutting-edge technology of DC solar microgrids. The village of Batambis is located at a distance of 55kilometres from Kargil, situated at an altitude of more than 13000 feet above the sea level. The village has more than 60 households with a population of more than 700 people and remains cut off for more than 5 months in a year due to heavy snowfall. In winters the village gets upto 4-5 feet of snowfall and temperatures can go upto -30 Degree Celsius. The village currently has no mobile connectivity and the villagers need to walk to a top of mountain pass at a height of 14,000 feet to get access to mobile signal to make calls.

The village was powered up by Solar energy in a span of 3 days, thanks to the efforts of the social enterprise Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), Kargil Renewable Energy Development Authority (KREDA) and the EICHER Group Foundation. The total installed capacity at Batambis was around 6KW with over 450 Energy Efficient DC LED Lights and 3 days of backup in case of cloudy weather.

The Project was inaugurated by SSP Kargil T Gyalpo, Project Director Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan and Councilor Choskore Sheikh Mohammad Raza.

While talking on this occasion SSP Kargil T Gyalpo appreciated the efforts made by the GHE Team of Young Engineers Paras Loomba and Jaideep Bansal and Eicher Group Foundation for sponsoring the village which actually needs Electricity and which is actually backward.

Later SSP Kargil also offered Rs. 30,000 for the village to provide winter coaching to the children of the village.

Team Leader of GHE, Shakir told that GHE seeks to provide energy access to the remote mountainous communities of Leh, Kargil and Zanskar, and has till date electrified 53 villages in Ladakh. GHE has come up with an innovative Solar Micro Grid solution using energy efficient LED lights and Dc appliances that has changed the electrification scenario of the region due to their aggressive planning on electrifying these remote villages.

As part of a CSR initiative, GHE has partnered with the EICHER Group Foundation to bring access to energy and education to the remote villages in the area. The Eicher Group foundation is committed to holistic development of the remote mountain communities.

Gaurav Sharma, CSR, Eicher Group Foundation while talking to AIR over Telephone said “We have collaborated with GHE and this partnership is aimed at bringing development in the remote areas of India, whether its energy for the villagers or education to the students”

Kacho Ahmed Khan, Project Director of KREDA said “We have been working with GHE for the past 3 years to bring access to energy to all our remote villages in Kargil District. GHE has come up with an innovative Solar Micro Grid solution that not only provides energy Efficient Lighting technology but also has the capacity to run innovative DC Appliances such as LED TV etc. The team is now capable of electrifying the remote villages in Ladakh due to their effective system sizing and expertise in Logistics in this difficult mountain terrain”.

Over the last 3 years, GHE along with the local support of KREDA and LAHDC has electrified 18 villages and hamlets and 2 Monasteries in the Kargil District. These are namely the renowned Phugtal and Rangdum Gompa and villages of Itchu, Lankerchey Brok, BodkharbhuPhu, Anmu, Cha, Malrling and the remote village of Shade, along with multiple villages in Zanskar.

GHE has been developing its own energy efficient devices such as LED Lights, DC LED TV’s and low power computers. “Energy efficiency is the key to provide energy access to the remote communities of India. And with the help of EICHER Group Foundation and KREDA, we are able to maximize our impact by reaching out to even more villages and bringing development in these areas” said Jaideep Bansal, Energy Access Leader, GHE.

Councilor Sheikh Mohamad Raza on behalf of the Villagers thanked GHE, Eicher Group Foundation and KREDA for taking initiative and electrifying Batambis Village after 71 years of Independence.

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