On eighth day of 'Jal Satyagraha', Bijnor villagers march semi-naked to demand embankment and bridge across Ganga
BIJNOR: Villagers in Bijnor who have been demanding a bridge and embankment on the Ganga for seven previous days, resorted to “semi-naked” protest on Tuesday against “uncaring” attitude of government agencies, after all their previous protests “fell on deaf ears”.
A large number of villagers marched through the affected hamlets, wearing nothing but loincloths.
With the river in spate, police and PAC jawans were deployed in the area to prevent untoward incidents.
In protests on previous days, the villagers had stood in knee-deep water, and later even in neck-deep water to press for their demands. But even after the eighth consecutive day of protest on Tuesday, no tangible result was in sight.
There is seething anger among residents of 25 villages located along the Ganges in Bijnor. With the river frequently changing course over the last few years, hundreds of bighas of agriculture land have been eroded every year, and seven villages displaced. Crops are submerged and destroyed every year, the villagers alleged, robbing them of their livelihoods.
In protests on previous days, the villagers had stood in knee-deep water, and later even in neck-deep water to press for their demands. But even after the eighth consecutive day of protest on Tuesday, no tangible result was in sight.
There is seething anger among residents of 25 villages located along the Ganges in Bijnor. With the river frequently changing course over the last few years, hundreds of bighas of agriculture land have been eroded every year, and seven villages displaced. Crops are submerged and destroyed every year, the villagers alleged, robbing them of their livelihoods.
Many residents have begun cultivating new land that has come up on the opposite bank, crossing the river at great risk on flimsy boats. Apparently, they have been demanding an embankment and bridge over the river since 1952.
In a bid to raise the stakes, scores of agitators took out their “semi-naked” procession on Tuesday that passed through villages Daibalgarh, Razarampur, Chaharwala, Kauharpur, shouting the slogan “Tatbandh banao, khadar bachao (build embankment, save villages along riverbank)”.
Leading the agitation, Rajendra Singh said, “Scores of villagers have been protesting on the riverbank for the past eight days, yet authorities are insensitive to our demands. Not a single representative of the state government has bothered to visit the protest site or make any tangible promises. We’ll not budge till our demands are met. Our “semi-naked” protest has just begun, though villagers including women and children have already protested by standing neck-deep in the river.”
SDM Bijnor Brajesh Kumar Singh said, “We’re visiting Daibalgarh every day. Police and PAC have also been deployed. The issues will be resolved soon.”
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