JAIPUR: It was a rare occasion on April 29 this year when a ‘barat’ ( wedding procession) left for Rajghat village for the first time in more than two decades. The entire village in the Dholpur district was decked up with flowers, garlands and banana leaves. But the exuberance of the groom’s father remained tempered; there was no electricity to light up his house.Rajghat is a village frozen in time, lost to the apathy of elected representatives and successive governments. Located barely 5 km away from the district headquarters, it is often called a ‘village of bachelors’. Prior to the April wedding, the last time a bride had come to their village was in 1996.The village is part of the Dholpur assembly constituency and is currently represented by BJP MLA Shobha Rani.Sitaram, a resident of Rajghat, said that despite several complaints the elected representatives have done little to ensure that the basic amenities are provided.“All we have in the name of development is a defunct hand pump and a primary school. Some of us have installed solar panels to get electricity but that’s about it,” he said, adding that officials and elected representatives keep telling locals that since the village is located in a forest area the pace of development is slow and agonizing.Nestled in the sandy ravines of Chambal, there are about 40 houses in the village with a population of close to 300. Despite the village falling under municipal limits, it has been battling inadequate infrastructure. According to locals, there are at least 75 bachelors still struggling to find brides.Pawan Kumar (22) however was one of the few persons who managed to fine a bride. Many villagers told TOI that it was for the first time in their lifetime that they had got the chance to attend a wedding.Kumar’s father Darshan Lal said for years all that the villagers have received nothing but only excuses. “We raise the issues every time a politician visits us but the only assurance they give us is that they would write to the government,” he said.“No family wants to marry their daughters in a village, which does not have basic amenities. Besides electricity, the other daily problems they face was lack of drinking water and mobile network,” a villager said. Many a time, families of prospective brides come to Rajghat but change their mind when they see kaccha houses, dusty roads and open drains.“Our village lacks everything. Nobody has bothered to improve basic conditions,” he said.

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