Asifabad: Demanding that electricity facility be provided to their village, the villagers of Nayakupuguda of Govena Gram Panchayat in Tiryani mandal on Monday staged protest in an innovative manner by shutting their mouths outside the District Forest Department office.

They expressed their grief that despite 70 years of independence, their village still does not have electricity and has not seen electricity lights without forest permission. They said that they have been going around for many years for permission from the Forest department to install electricity poles in Nayakupuguda village, but to no avail.

The villagers requested the Forest department officials to have mercy and give permission to install electricity poles.