Bijnor villagers sceptical over PM Modi’s remark on Ganga embankments

BIJNOR: For people living on the banks of the Ganga in Bijnor district, perennial floods, soil erosion and crop damage due to inundation are major election issues. And, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally at Vardhman College in Bijnor on Friday, attempted to woo these people by saying that the BJP government at the Centre was aware of their problems and that plans are being made to address the issues here.“We are aware of the problem because of non-existence of embankments along the Ganga. I must assure you that work has already begun on this front,” said Modi.
Villagers, however, are sceptical. They say politicians are talking about these issues now only to woo the voters. “Since long, we have been demanding the construction of embankments so that our land is not flooded during monsoon and erosion is checked, but nobody has done anything so far,” said Tikam Singh, a farmer of Rajarampur village.
BKU state secretary Rajendra Singh said, “All politicians make the same statement to get political mileage but after the elections they forget us. Now, the Prime Minister has promised to get things done to stop the annual flood menace. Only time will tell if the PM is true to his words.”
Gulab Singh, a resident of Rajarampur, said, “About six villages were completely destroyed by floods in recent times. The Ganga is shifting towards populated areas because of massive erosion. If embankments are not built, soil erosion may destroy 25 more villages soon. Floods destroy our crops every year and ruin us economically. Our plight becomes poll issue during election time only and they forget us after the polls are over.”
Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday had also promised to address the issues faced by the people here. Now, Modi on Friday said, “My MPs are very active. They narrated to me about the miseries of the villagers living on the bank of Ganga in Bijnor. I had sent Union minister Uma Bharti to the area. Our govt is aware of the problems of the villagers here. My government is making plans for constructing embankment here.”
Over three lakh people live in 312 villages located on the banks of the Ganga in the dirtrict.