Maharashtra's Singapur village powers ahead with solar revolution

Thane: Nestled in the Sahyadri ranges near the Naneghat pass, the small tribal village of Singapur in Maharashtra’s Thane district is undergoing a quiet solar revolution, officials said on Monday.

Located in the rugged Daryaghat region of Murbad taluka, the village has embraced solar energy and drip irrigation to power its agriculture. Now, the gram panchayat is working towards installing solar panels in every household, aiming to make Singapur a model of sustainable rural development, they said.

The village - with a population of just 957 people and often noted for its name's resemblance to the country Singapore - has been transformed by its residents through bamboo plantations, providing both green cover and raw material for the local economy, an official said.

During his recent visit, Zilla Parishad CEO Ranjit Yadav lauded the development of Singapur, where all four ZP primary schools and four anganwadi centres have been fully digitised. Students here study in computer-equipped classrooms under the watchful eyes of CCTV cameras, the official said.

"We want to create a village with good governance that serves as a model for the entire state," a local gram panchayat representative said.

The village has also received several awards for its beauty, water quality and management, a Zilla Parishad official said.