As many as 76 villages in Uttarakhand have been living in the dark since 1947, the year in which India attained independence. That's because till date, the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has not been able to set up the required infrastructure in these villages. Surprisingly, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh, the two districts which share international border with Nepal and China, have a majority of villages without electricity. While Uttarkashi has 31 such villages, Pithoragarh has 29 of them. This information was revealed by UPCL in response to an RTI query by Dehradun-based activist Ajay Kumar. "My main objective was to find out the exact condition of power supply in the state, especially in far-flung and rural areas. The fact that two big districts still have several villages with no power is shameful. That's because even now, the residents there are forced to use kerosene lamps for light," said Kumar. He added that it was appalling to know that six villages in Tehri district were managing without electricity till date. The revelation about villages in border areas having no power connections has surprised the defence experts based in the capital city. Meanwhile, UPCL officials admitted to the problem and said that the work to set up infrastructure to provide power supply in these villages will be completed by this year. "The work plan and all estimates for power lines are completed and these villages are on top prio-rity under the rural electrification plan."