Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lashed out at ‘previous governments in Lucknow and Delhi’ for creating water crisis in the Bundelkhand region.
At a rally that marked the inauguration of the Arjun Sahayak project, the Prime Minister said: “The wait for water is over now. Over four lakh people will get clean drinking water. The people of Mahoba, Banda, Hamirpur and Lalitpur will benefit from this scheme.”
He said that Bundelkhand at one time, was a model for water conservation and management. Rivers like Ken, Betwa, Dhasan made the region famous and prosperous.
“The land of Bundelkhand blessed Lord Ram when he was in exile. However, those who ruled Delhi and UP never worked towards its development. Earlier governments mistreated the region,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that water problem in the region became so acute that people refused to marry their daughters in this area and this led to migration.
“The previous family-oriented government destroyed natural resources and allowed the mafia to prosper. After Yogi Adityanath came to power, the mafia was bulldozed but you should not forget what the previous governments did to you. In their regime, scams and commissions were the order of the day,” he stated.
He said that the previous government showed no interest in the Arjun Sahayak Yojana because they worked to loot and we work to serve. “Some do the politics of problem while we do the politics of solution,” he said.
Modi said that the scheme will give a new lease of life to the Bundelkhand region.
“Over 30 lakh families have benefitted from the ‘nal se jal’ scheme,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Arjuna Sahayak irrigation project worth Rs 2,655 crore, is a significant initiative to alleviate water distress in the districts like Mahoba, Hamirpur and Banda and to bring relief to the farmers of the state.
The mega project on the river Dhasan will not only provide irrigation facilities to over 1.5 lakh farmers of about 168 villages of Mahoba, Banda and Hamirpur but will also facilitate the provision of clean drinking water (potable water) to over 4 lakh families residing in water-scarce regions.
The project will play an important role in benefitting the crop growers along with other projects.
The project, which started nearly a decade ago (2009-10), will not only make Bundelkhand green but its operationalisation will also help in irrigation of around 44,382 hectares of land in the districts of Mahoba, Hamirpur and Banda.
Along with this, 15,104-hectare irrigation capacity will also be restored. In addition, 20 MCM drinking water will also be available to Mahoba from the Kabrai Dam.
Nearly 1,49,755 farmers of 168 villages will be benefitted.
According to the government spokesman, the Arjun Sahayak Project, which was started in the year 2009-10 at a cost of Rs 850 crore, was to be completed in the year 2015.
However, due to the neglect of the previous governments, not only the completion of the project was delayed but also its cost was increased to Rs 2655.36 crore.
The Bundelkhand region, for long, has been facing acute water shortage where most wells and hand-pumps have dried up due to decreasing groundwater levels. The residents in the drought-prone regions were forced to buy basic necessities such as drinking water.
In view of solving the water crisis in such regions, the government completed the Rasin Dam Project (Chitrakoot) Bandai Dam Project (Lalitpur) between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.
In the coming days, projects like Kulpahar and Shahzad of Bundelkhand will serve as a model for the state. These are being connected to the sprinkler system. With this, more irrigation will be done in less water and the yield will also increase.
