Jal satyagrahis pay tribute to 10 women who died in boat mishap last year

Bijnor

: A group of villagers of some 25 villages along the Ganga continued their ‘jal satyagarh’ for the fifth day on Saturday to press for a temporary bridge over the river and an embankment to keep its raging waters at bay. They held up pictures of 10 women who died when their boat had capsized in the swollen river on this day, last year, as a mark of tribute.

Farmers in the area have for long been demanding a bridge over the river in Daibalgarh region of Bijnor to connect their villages and fields on the other bank. But all their petitions have fallen on deaf ears. When they realized that last year’s accident had failed to move the administration, they resorted to what they called a ‘jal satyagrah’. More than 100 villagers are taking turns, on a daily basis, to stand in knee-deep water of the river as part of the protest at Daibalgarh village.

Supporting their cause, national spokeperson of

Bhartiya Kisan Union

(BKU) Rakesh Tikait visited Daibalgarh village on Saturday and paid homage to memory of the deceased women who lost their lives on August 24, last year.

Addressing the gathering, Tikait said, “The sacrifice of the women will not go in vain. The agitation will go on till the process for construction of a temporary bridge and an embankment along the river is started.”

The BKU leader said, “Farmers have to risk their lives every time they have to cross the river to work in their fields. Every year, during monsoon, the river erodes thousands of acres of farmland, robbing farmers of their livelihood besides submerging houses.”

Meanwhile, administrative officials assured villagers that their demand will be met after water level recedes in October but the agitators have refused to relent.

According an Kalawati, an elderly woman, “We are struggling to survive since 1952 and demanding an embankment and a bridge over the river. Many governments have come and gone — all giving false assurance. Today, people of several villages, including Chaharwala, Beeruwala, Simali, Meerapur, Chaukpuri and Sukkhapur, have been displaced by the Ganga that keeps changing course.”