Agra, which has a special place on the world map owing to the Taj Mahal, is reeling under utter deprivation of basic civic facilities like power, water and roads. It has driven the locals to force the lok Sabha contestants to promise overall development of the historic city.
last week, residents, traders and representatives of various bodies took an exemplary step by bringing the lok Sabha election nominees of all political parties on a single platform to deliberate and finalise an agenda to facelift Agra. lack of potable water was identified as one of the main problems during the discussion. Hundreds of households in the prestigious reserved constituency have to spend Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per month to get drinking water.
Sitting MP Rama Shankar Katheria (BJP) is promising to deliver better civic amenities this time. When asked why he failed in his last tenure, Katheria claimed neither the Centre nor the State Government cooperated with him. “This time, it will be a Narendra Modi-led BJP Government at the Centre, and therefore development of the city would be the top priority,” Katheria explained.
Contestants of other parties too have pledged to meet the demands of the locals. Other important demands include developing the city into an international tourist hub, construction of a stadium, a barrage at Yamuna, and establishing a Bench of the Allahabad High Court in the city.
Katheria is facing a direct contest from BSP’s Narayan Singh Suman, who is banking on three lakh Jatav votes. Even though Congress nominee Upendra Singh has been unsuccessful in the last two Assembly polls, his efforts in solving water woes might have earned him some sympathy.
However, Maharaj Singh Dhangar of the Samajwadi Party (SP) will have to face the ire of voters, who are upset with the Akhilesh Yadav Government for ignoring the city. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems to have created a buzz and its candidate, Ravindra Singh, has been able to mobilise a section of society, including students. But it is premature to say whether the buzz will convert in votes. Ravindra has promised to make Agra a heritage city if he wins the lok Sabha battle.
Incidentally, after Delhi, Agra is one of constituencies where Arvind Kejriwal has won some trust of auto drivers. “Kejriwal should address our problem as the administration has snatched a chance of better livelihood from us. The city administration has conspired and they have banned plying of auto-rickshaws on MG Road to allow city bus service owned by a Minister in the UP Government. Now you tell me which mode of transport chokes the city more — a big bus or a poor man’s auto-rickshaw,” said Raja Budhwar, an auto driver, in Mantola area.
When asked about their experience of general elections in India, American tourist couple Alexandria and Garaix pointed to one of the many billboards of Narendra Modi dotting the city and said the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate should take steps to make the city beautiful if he comes into power at the Centre. Alexandria aptly summed his two-day visit to Agra by remarking: “One of the world’s most beautiful monuments rests in one of the ugliest cities of India.”